


Join Me

by MistakenAngel



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:35:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 34
Words: 36,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22931104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistakenAngel/pseuds/MistakenAngel
Summary: Rey is captured by the First Order after the battle of Crait..again. When the Millennium Falcon is shot down, Rey is given another chance to join Kylo Ren's side in the war. Will she take him up on his offer, or will she break his heart for good this time? Read and find out, folks. As always, please vote and comment! Thanks so much ahead of time!
Relationships: Darth Maul & Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

One

Kylo's Pov...

The damned piece of junk is finally in flames, and it is one last farewell of the worthless fiend who called himself my father. Well, he gave me life, and that was about all the good he ever did in his life as far as I am concerned.

"Should we move out, Supreme Leader?" General Hux said, with complete disdain of my new title.

Rey...yes, now that I have had the chance to think: she is on that ship. Just great. I decided then and there to rescue her, and get her away from the damned Resistance for good.

"Land us next to the Falcon," I ordered. "We must search for survivors. The Resistance will no doubt want their precious Jedi back, but we will recruit her first to our cause."

Hux rolled his green eyes. "Fine, but I have no idea why you won't let her treason go unpunished. She killed your predecessor. Or, _did_ she?"

I smirked at my second in command. I knew that I had to do something about him, and soon, but for now, he was useful.

"Just land The Silencer," I ordered. "I am going down myself with the death troopers to retrieve the scavenger, dead or alive."

Hux gave the orders, and The Silencer banked and landed to where the Millennium Falcon was in burning pieces. I disembarked off of the landing ramp, and lifted the debris with the Force. I found Chewbacca dead from multiple burns and bloody wounds. Several porgs, and then there was Rey. She was slumped over the remnants of the control panel of the bridge, and I sensed that the signs of life were faint.

I ran to her and cradled her in my arms. My death troopers, no doubt thought I was going insane, but all I saw was Rey: The same stubborn, headstrong girl who somehow wormed her way into what passed for my heart.

I gently bridal carried her in my arms, and carried her aboard. Hux tried to question me, but I walked past him, and went to the medical section on the ship, and began giving rapid orders that she was to be treated with every care and kindness.

I watched the doctors give Rey oxygen and take her vitals, and I stood as silent as a statue as I waited, wiping at my tears. Hux came up beside me, and cleared his throat.

"Yes, Hux?" I asked, annoyed. "What is it?"

"Can we go back to The Finalizer? Or are we going to wait for the Resistance to catch us with our pants down?" Hux sneered.

"Give the order that we are going back to the ship," I said bitterly. "Make sure the doctors keep her alive, or you will follow Snoke in the afterlife."

"Yes, Supreme Leader," Hux said, and began shouting orders.

I barely heard them, or the ship move as it lifted up into the atmosphere. All I could concentrate on was Rey. Rey had to live, everything depended on it.

I took a shower, ate dinner in the galley, and came back to her. She was stable, but still not awake.

I took her left hand in mine, and kissed it. "Rey, I'm so damned sorry," I said sadly. "About everything. I know that I can't express my feelings, but in the throne room, I meant to say that you are everything to me."

I kissed her lips, and wished that I had kissed her in that elevator. I could have handled her rejection much more if I had been more open about my feelings then; at least if she slapped me, or cursed me out, I would know that she hated me, and there would not be this mystery between us. 

"Good night, Rey," I said, sniffing. "We will talk again, I believe that."

I kissed her lips again, and traced her mouth with my thumb. I turned and left the room, and went to my quarters. My dreams were fitful, and I wanted to hold Rey in my arms, but I finally slept out of pure exhaustion. I wondered how she would react once she woke up. But luckily, I did not have long to wait...


	2. Chapter 2

Rey's Pov...

My body hurts, and I can barely move. The last thing I remember was blasting my way out of Crait's atmosphere, and then being shot down by the First Order's huge AT-AT's. I remember falling hundreds of feet and trying to pull out of it, but to no avail. Chewie gave me one final look, and grasped my hand. Then I blacked out. Did the Resistance find us? Is that where I am?

Wait..Why is Ben's presence so close to me? That would never happen, unless...oh gods, no! A short black woman with long curly hair, and wearing citrus perfume, stopped by my bed, and was about to check my vitals, when I startled her by asking, "Where...Where am I?"

"Oh! My lady, you startled me," She said, putting a hand on her big bosom, and fanning her face. She wore crisp white scrubs, like all of the doctors and nurses here in this hospital ward.

"Where am I?" I asked again.

"The Finalizer, my lady," The nurse said. "The Supreme Leader found you in the wreckage of your ship, and carried you here himself. He is in a meeting, but I was ordered to fetch him the second you awoke."

My mind was hazy with who was running the First Order now. Was it Hux? Or Ben? No, General Hux wouldn't touch me if I was made of diamonds, so it had to be Ben. But why? He decided what he was going to do: go down the path of evil, and not go on the side of right, where he belongs. He made his intentions very clear to me in the throne room on The Supremacy.

"I'm sorry, but who carried me here?" I asked, my mouth dry and scratchy.

The nurse fetched me some water, and helped me to drink it. "Why Supreme Leader Ren, of course, my lady. I will let him answer all of your questions. Just let me fetch him. Will you be wanting lunch now?"

I smiled kindly at the woman, but my face hurt from the effort. I shudder to think about what my injuries look like. "Yes, thank you," I said.

She nodded, and then left me in my room. A droid soon brought me my food, and I ate. How long has it been since I had any food? Judging from my appetite: too damn long, because I can usually go two days without starving, if need be.

Half an hour later, Ben burst into the room, and I was alarmed by the concern and kindness I saw in his dark chocolate eyes. What the hell was going on? He all but killed me earlier, so why the sudden change of heart? I swear that I will never completely understand what makes this man tick.

Ben scooted his chair closer to my bed, and he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was trampled by a bantha," I narrowed my eyes. "And if you had just let me go, I wouldn't be injured like this. Why did you do it?! You knew I was on the Falcon!"

Ben sighed, and moved to put his hand close to my face, but I weakly batted it aside. "Can you just let me show you my memories, Rey? I promise that I won't scan your mind. You are not my prisoner, after all."

"And what am I?" I demanded. "Your guest? You lied about that the last time. What makes you think that I will believe anything you tell me?"

Ben looked at me with genuine remorse. The Force revealed that he was being dead honest. I didn't like this new, bluntly honest Ben Solo. In fact, I almost preferred Kylo Ren to this broken, sad man who I still felt some compassion for.

" _Please_ , Rey," Ben said, taking off his gloves. "Can I just reveal my thoughts to you? If you decide that you hate me, I won't fight for us any more. You have my word on that."

My eyes widened with understanding. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," Ben said. "Shall we begin?"

"Okay," I said. "Let's begin. But if I see pervvy things in your head, I will order you out of my room."

Ben grinned, winking at me. "Fair enough. Give me your hands."

I let him take my hands, as he sat on the bed beside me, and as soon as our eyes shut, that electric spark I felt the last time we touched hands through our Force bond took hold, only it was stronger, and more intense, and I soon learned just how deep and intense his feelings were for me at long last...


	3. Chapter 3

Rey's Pov...

I was in the forest of Takodana, and Ben was beside me, dressed in a much more formal black uniform, and he had no lightsaber scar marring his handsome face. I looked down at the off the shoulder black velvet gown I was wearing, and he took my hand in his and kissed it.

"Why are we on Takodana?" I asked.

Ben merely pointed at the scene before us. Our past selves were meeting each other for the first time, and how I attacked him first. He was merely defending himself.

I sighed. "In my defense, your mask really freaked me out, and I had heard that you were this fiercesome Sith who would slaughter anyone you encountered."

"Just listen to my inner thoughts," Ben said. He snapped his fingers, and I heard everything from his point of view:

_The girl, the one I keep hearing about, and the one I suspect has been drawing me back to the light, is here on Takodana. I want only to question her about the map, but why does she fight me?? What the hell?! How dare she!_

_I look her over, and see her fear and strength. I want to reach out and touch her face. But no, that will only scare her more, and I don't want to do that._

_No response. I point my lightsaber at her throat and admire her strength. Why am I so affected? The map. Yes, she has seen it, but only partially. Well, I would like to study her further to see what makes her tick. Gods, she's actually beautiful. I want to ask her to come willingly, but she is too proud for that, and Hux will know something is wrong with me, and report it to Snoke. I cannot have that. No, it is best to bring her with me..._

🌌🌌🌌

We watched our past selves leave, and Ben and I walked for a time in the woods.

"And you cared for me the entire time?" I asked.

Ben smiled. "Of course. I let no one touch you. I, at first, wanted to give you your own quarters, but Hux would have reported that something was amiss immediately with me. Thus, you being restrained in the restraint chair. Now, did you want to see the interrogation afterwards?"

"In a minute," I said. "But I have to know this: if you cared about me then, or started to care, why did you not just ask me the questions normally? Why did you have to hurt me?"

Ben paused, and cupped my face with his hand. "Because I was arrogant and stupid, and it was what I was trained for. Do you want to see more?"

I nodded, and a portal opened up, and we walked through it to our next scene, which was, of course, the interrogation on Star Killer Base, and where I first felt my Force powers for the very first time...


	4. Chapter 4

Rey's Pov...

I am walking in the snow of Star Killer base, and I noticed that Ben is beside me. We are dressed for winter, of course, but we watch as past Ben carries my unconscious body, wrapped in his cloak, and I cannot tell what his emotions are behind the mask, but I am genuinely touched by him keeping me warm against the elements. We follow our past selves into the base, and saw that Hux and past Ben argued about the proper treatment of prisoners, and how it didn't extend to Kylo Ren bundling them with his own cloak.

Past Ben Force choked him briefly, and he carried my past self to an interrogation room. Then I heard his inner thoughts:

 _Who is this girl? Why does her long eye lashes intrigue me so? I stroke her cheek, and allow myself to trace her lips with my thumb. I kiss her lips oh so lightly, not knowing why I am doing it, but I do it anyway. Okay, I need to stop_ _doing this, like right now. I crouch down to hide my stupid erection, and wait for the Force induced sleep I put her in to wear off._

_Her eyes flutter open to reveal those beautiful hazel eyes as she looks about the interrogation room with brief confusion. After speaking with her briefly, I decide to take off my mask. I do it to prove that there is a human underneath it, but also to gauge her reaction._

_I take my Ren Knight mask off, and slam it on my basin of ashes that contain the cremated remains of my other stubborn prisoners. She flinches at that, but then I see that she is clearly interested in me. Good, I hope that it disarms her enough to talk. It doesn't, and part of me is pleased that it doesn't, because I have no wish to break her. I only want information from her, and nothing more._

_We talk, and she is stubborn, but then something...happens. We get into each other's minds, and memories faster than I can examine are shared between us. Childhood, teenage years, loneliness, sheer loneliness over all. Our backgrounds are so different, and yet the same: we were lonely children, and we needed each other even then._

_There is an island, a planet of islands. It is cold part of the year, and warm in the other half. I have been here before, but...no, when have I been here before? Before Snoke certainly, and certainly during my earliest Force training._ _I know that he modified a lot of my memories, but I think that includes my knowledge of where this planet is. It begins with an A and the girl has no clue what this system is called, but it is somewhere in my subconscious, if only I can retrieve it._

_I dig deeper into the girl's mind to try to retrieve it. But then I see Darth Vader, my famous grandfather, and the entire reason Snoke wanted to train me to begin with: he wants his own Vader to destroy the galaxy. She sees him too, but I am angered by her divining my innermost insecurities surrounding him: that I will never be as strong as him._

_I wrench my mind from hers, and we are both breathing heavily from this. I want to continue this interrogation, but then Hux calls me away to a meeting with Snoke..._

_🌌🌌🌌_

Ben turned to me, and said, "Well, now you know everything that I was thinking. Repelled by me yet?"

I'm not repelled by him, oddly enough, and I shook my head. "I'm a little weirded out that you kissed me while I was out in that chair, but um, you didn't do that on your ship, right?"

Ben laughed, and shook his head. "Too many eyes for me to try that," He said. "I played with your hair for a bit, but that's only because I think you have lovely hair."

I touched my wavy, braided hair style, and blushed. "Are you sure that you're not a secret hair stylist?"

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "I will never tell. Are you ready to see my meeting with Snoke?"

I was amazed that he would be so forthcoming. But I suppose that the time for secrets was long past us: it was either be honest, or this Force bond between us was never going to thrive.

I ran my hands over the now vacant interrogation chair. "I escaped because I was scared of all that I saw in your mind," I confessed. "I couldn't believe that a guy who was given such a rich childhood, a childhood most kids have only dreamed of, that his parents were too busy for him. I definitely want to hear your thoughts when you killed Han Solo. All of them."

Ben kissed the top of my head, and asked, "Are you that is what you want, Rey?"

"Yes. And in return, I will show you my thoughts when we fought on Star Killer," I said. "Is that a deal?"

Ben nodded his head, and took a deep breath. "Yes. I promised to reveal my whole self to you and that is what I am going to do. It's a deal."

We shook hands on that, and I took Ben's hand in mine. We came into a dark, cavernous room, and that is when I saw Snoke again, and his true thoughts on me...


	5. Chapter 5

Ben's Pov...

I lead Rey into the cavernous audience chamber on Star Killer base, and watched my past self trying to argue with Snoke about Rey. Even though I killed Snoke, and I was now Supreme Leader of the First Order, I still felt lower than pond scum in the corpse's presence.

I took Rey's hand in mine, and I turned to her. She looked up at me, and I said, "I'm glad we are doing this. Can I please ask your forgiveness for all of the earlier bullshit I put you through?"

Rey nodded her head. "I'm just happy that we are able to be so open now. Better late than never, right?"

"Exactly," I grinned. I snapped my fingers, and like the last two times, the Force broadcast my inner thoughts as if it were on a ship-wide communications system:

 _How_ _ **dare**_ _he call me out of the middle of a crucial interrogation?! I am this close to finding out just what the hell is going on with me and this girl. No, this could be a good thing: The old corpse can give me_ _guidance_ _about how to proceed next with the girl. I ask for his guidance, and of course, the idiotic fool that goes by the name of Armitage Hux has to put his two cents in. Brown nosing asshole. I am surprised that his tongue is still pink from the asses he has had to kiss over the years to acquire the position he currently holds._

_I beg for the corpse's guidance again, and request that I be allowed to train the girl in the ways of the Force. He would rather I bring the girl to him, completely going against the code of one padawan learner paired with one master to be trained. I storm out of there. What the fuck do I know? I'm only one of the leaders of the First Order. Well, fuck them both, I can get my answers from the girl, I just need more time._

_But when I get to the interrogation room, she is nowhere to be found. I destroy the chair with my lightsaber in retaliation. I have to find her, damn it! Damn Hux and his interference! Damn him to the lowest pits of Hell! I order my stormtroopers to find the girl. I also find the ones responsible for allowing her to escape and kill them._

_I search for her myself, and pause. Ah, yes, of course. My father. I am disappointed in my mother for not coming herself to confront me. But when has she ever had time for me, apart from her career? But I will deal with her in due course, right now, my focus should be on the scavenger, on the girl._

_The treasonous stormtrooper is here as well. Wonderful. Well, Captain Phasma can deal with him, he is her responsibility, after all. Perhaps, they both need to go in for reevaluation. I will think on this further. I follow the girl towards the control room, her Force signature like a fine perfume that I am drawn towards. My father is there as well. Good. It's about damn time we had our little father son talk..._

🌌🌌🌌

I snapped my fingers again, and my inner thoughts were silenced. "You were so angry at him your thoughts were all over the place there," Rey commented.

I sighed. "Yes, they were. But it is important to share them now. Come, let's go see the next part of our past."

Rey looked about the cold, dark throne room, and climbed the stairs of the throne. "Wow, it is really high up here," She said. "Come join me up here, Ben, sit with me."

I smiled and climbed the stairs and sat down next to her. I looked out over the dark room, and our eyes met. I took her hands in mine, and we leaned forward. I could feel my heart beat fast as Rey scooted close to me.

"Can...Can you kiss me now that I'm awake?" Rey asked shyly. I cupped her face in my hands and pressed my lips to hers. Sparks flew between our lips as Rey moaned into my mouth. Our mouths moved together as I slipped my tongue into her mouth.

"Oh, Ben..."   
"Rey..."

We pulled away from each other, and Rey blushed. There was so much that needed to be said here, but now was not the time to say it, I could sense. I kissed her hand, and she smiled at me shyly. I smiled back, and I kissed her softly.

I stood up and put out my hand to help her up. She took it, and we went down the stairs together to the control room where I encountered my father for the very last time in my life...


	6. Chapter 6

Rey's Pov...

My mind still reeled from kissing Ben. I literally let him kiss me! I couldn't believe that I would kiss a man who had put me in the hospital ward. But the worst part of it was that I _enjoyed_ it, like really enjoyed it. What was wrong with me?! I shouldn't be feeling these things for him. He has caused so much harm to the galaxy, killed his own father, and decimated the resistance.

I walked with Ben to the control room and we watched our past selves in the room. Chewie was putting up explosives, and my past self stood with Finn as past Ben and Han Solo interacted. Ben looked at me sadly, and snapped his fingers.

_I sense my father before I see him come down the narrow walkway towards the control room. He calls out my birth name, and I wince at hearing it. I turn to face him, and he demands that I take off my mask. I challenge him to_ _ask him what he thinks he will see, and I almost want to laugh when he says that he will see the face of his son. What the hell? I might as well break the vow of not revealing my face to my enemies a second time. I take off my mask, and let it fall on to the walk way. We talk for a bit, and I know that he is doing it to stall me, because he has explosives rigged all over this place._

_He wants me to come back with him, to be with my mother again, and that he is doing this on her orders. I honestly wished that he came here of his own free will. I would have been more receptive to his heartfelt entreaties. But no, he is doing this for my mother Leia's sake. Yeah, sorry mom. I'm in too deep to turn against Snoke at this point._

_He comes closer to me, and I feel my resolve to be the tough First Order Commander crumbling. The part of me that still loves this man, despite his lack of involvement in my life, gives me pause. I ask him to help me, and he obliges. I unclip my lightsaber from my belt, and hand it to him. But something weird happens: I see him press the tiny red skull button on my lightsaber and an energy that did not come from my hands, guides mine and before I know what is happening, my lightsaber is sticking through my father's solar plexus. What the fuck?!_

_I hear cold laughter in the back of my mind, and Snoke's voice: "I told you that if you failed in your task that I would do it for you."_

_My father gives me a look of pure forgiveness and love as he touches my face one last time. His body falls off of_ _the walkway, and Chewie shoots me with his bow blaster. The force of the shot makes me collapse to my knees, and I use my healing abilities to attempt to keep myself from bleeding out right here and_ _now_.

_I sense Rey's despair over losing the closest thing she had to a father. But I cannot think of that now, I have to concentrate on getting the hell out of here. I follow Rey and the defective stormtrooper. I need to keep her with me, because it is vital that she be trained in the Force. The First Order cannot afford to have another Force user on their side. But beyond this, we have unfinished business, and I want to know why I am so drawn to her. If she is with me on a day to day basis, I can learn the truth of this, we both can._

_I follow, and I anticipate a struggle, but I will win and prove my worth to Snoke. I have to, because I have given everything that I have to him. What more can I give but my very life?_

🌌🌌🌌

I go to Ben, and we both look down into the control shaft of the thermal oscillator together. Somewhere down there, is Han Solo, Ben's smuggler father. I wanted to touch Ben, but he shook me off.

"Ben, please let me help you," I said, softly.

I realize that I am crying, and he is as well. In fact, his face looks just as devastated and broken as it did on the day his lightsaber ran his father through.

"Don't touch me, Rey," Ben spat, "I don't need or require your pity. Please don't do that."

I ran a hand along his back in soothing circles. "I'm not pitying you," I said, truthfully. "I'm understanding where you are coming from now. All I could feel was my own shock and despair over losing my only father figure. I didn't think or imagine what you were going through. How could I? My parents tossed me aside like I was nothing, so I never knew them. But I guess now is the time to go into my mind for a while."

But Ben wouldn't look at me for a while. I brought up my hand to bring his face to look at me.

"You were right when you called me a monster, Rey," Ben said, his voice hoarse from sadness. "Only a monster would kill their own father. I sure as hell didn't enjoy it, but I did it any way. I thought it would bring me more strength, but it only weakened me more than before the act. I'm still being torn apart. Why do you still care about me? You must be a saint."

I laughed. "Oh, I'm no saint. I've even had to kill a thief or two on Jakku, but I do care about you, Ben. I think I'm just now realizing how alike we are. I now realize that you are a good man."

"How, Rey? I killed my own father!" He said bitterly. "You saw it, twice now. How can you possibly call me good?"

He shook me by the shoulders, but I tucked a stray hair behind his ear. "Because a true monster has no conscience," I explained. "They don't care. They see themself as a hero, and can easily justify their actions. You never have. You did things out of duty, and in this case, Snoke forced your hand. Literally."

Ben looked at me, amazed, and finally said, "I don't deserve you, Rey. I really don't. Most women would avoid me like the plague after seeing that."

I pushed my hair out of my eyes. "I'm not most women," I said, taking his hand. "I meant what I said on Athc-to: that you aren't alone. We are going to get through this."

Ben kissed me. "Thank you, Rey. For everything. I mean that."

I squeezed his hand, and said, "I know, and that's why I feel safe enough now with you to say that you mean--"

Ben laid a finger to my lips, silencing me. "Not now, I can feel it. Can you feel it from me as well?"

"Yes."  
"Shall we?" He asked.

"Yes," I said, and took his hand, as we entered my mind, and went outside of the base, and was transferred to the sight of our second battle in the snowy forests of Star Killer base as the planet was being torn to shreds around us...


	7. Chapter 7

Rey's Pov...

The snow was falling heavily around us as we watched my past self battle past Ben. We were both pretty mesmerizing to watch, I have to admit, honestly.

"You could have killed me half a dozen times," I said. "Right here, for instance when we're jumping from tree to tree here. Or when you flung me into that tree, you could have killed me."

Ben held me, and I began to cry over that.

"Hey, shhh..." Ben soothed, "It's alright. Oh, Rey. I am _so_ sorry I did that. I honestly was trying to go for the stormtrooper and you stood in his way. Can I show you why I took his betrayal so personally?"

I nodded my head, "But after we dip into my mind a little bit. I want you to hear my thoughts on this fight of ours."

I snapped my fingers and my thoughts came over our personal communications speakers:

_I hate him! I hate him so much for doing this to me! What right does this monster have to kill this man?! I get that he was his father, and they were quite estranged, but what gave him the right to resolve these family issues like this?!_

_Why is he chasing me like this? Is the man completely deranged? Well, it will be the last mistake he will ever fucking make, I guarantee it._ _I see that Finn has charged in like freaking Galahad again, and while his desire to be a hero is enduring, I find his affections boyish and repulsive, like from most guys. If at some point I liked him, treating me like a damsel in distress was not the way to my heart._

_Ben has defeated him easily, of course, and while I don't like that Finn is now hurt, it's his own damn fault. I guess that I have to pick up the slack. But then again, what else is new?_

_Ben challenges that the lightsaber that called to me doesn't belong to me. Well, we'll see about that, big boy. I stretch out my hand, and he does the same thing. The blue lightsaber flies into my hand easily, and I can hardly believe it. Ben looks at me with a combination of shock, amazement, and...admiration? But I put that out of my mind and attack him. I hardly know what I'm doing, but some cold, but seemingly gentle voice tells me to give into my anger, and kill Kylo Ren now, only he calls him Lord Ren, whatever the hell that means._

_My emotions are so raw that I comply, and I feel a surge of cold comfort lend strength to my adrenaline, and I strike, drawing on the years of training experience...from my grandfather. Who is this Force user? Powerful, old, and dark..it radiates off of him like waves._

_Ben moves to strike me again, but I flick my wrist at a crucial moment, and I mark up his face. As he lies there pathetic and bleeding, that same cold voice tells me to finish it, to kill him here and now. For a split second, I want to, and would like nothing better than to end him. But I can't...something about what we shared earlier in that interrogation of earlier stayed my hand. No, I won't kill him._

_The ground shakes, and divides us, and I see the Millenium Falcon land. I go to help Finn, and Chewie helps me to put Finn on to a medical bed._ _We take off, and not a moment too soon, because the planet implodes from within, and we escape along with the rest of the x-wings in the area. I promise you, Kylo Ren, that we will meet again, and next time I won't be as merciful..._

🌌🌌🌌

I am reeling from my thoughts. Did I always think such dark thoughts? I don't know. But I still don't know who that Force user was that had given me his knowledge to defeat Ben like that. I now know that without it, he would have defeated me easily.

Ben began to pace about the snow, and turned to face me. "Darth Sidious...I recognize his voice," Ben stammered. "I just never thought that I would ever _feel_ his presence. My grandfather was very afraid of his wrath. His holo journals were very clear on that. Rey, I have trained alongside Snoke almost all of my life, and that was Emperor Palpatine we heard, not Snoke. His darkness is different, more dark, and more subtle than Snoke's."

I shrugged my shoulders. "So what? He is dead. Didn't Darth Vader kill him to save his son Luke Skywalker? Why does it even matter?"

He turned to look at me pointedly. "Don't you understand, Rey? You are _royal_. It doesn't matter that your parents were junk traders, but one of them shared the late Emperor's blood, and you are the last Palpatine in the galaxy. If anything, I almost have no right to call myself Supreme Leader now."

I was shaken by the news. How in the world can I be a Princess?? "I want the blood test to confirm it," I said shakily. "I mean, if I am really the Princess, what would it mean for us?"

Ben flashed me a look of 'you know what it means.' "Well, you would be obligated to rule the galaxy, then. But for _us_ , well, we can talk about that later. For now, let's go back into my mind, and go back to Jakku for this memory. Are you ready?"

I take his hand, and we step into a night time Jakku. Our clothes change where I am wearing an off white gown that is backless and is light enough to handle the heat. Ben is wearing his Kylo Ren uniform, only he doesn't have his helmet on. We watch the scene before us, and at last, I learned first hand about the attack on the settlement nearest to Nimma Outpost, and about how Poe Dameron was captured in the first place...


	8. Chapter 8

Ben's Pov...

I suspected that there was something special about Rey when we first met, but I never imagined that she was the lost Imperial Princess! I had seen the archives, of course, how Palpatine had two daughters and one of them had disgraced the family by running off with a junk trader guy. As far as everyone knew, the woman was now dead, and no one knew that she produced a daughter.

I told Rey about what the Empire knew about her mother, and she asked, "So, no one knows that she produced a child?"

"Unkarr Plutt let slip that some high and mighty lady had paid a pretty credit for his silence," Ben said. "He has been a spy for the First Order for years, of course, which is how we were told of the droid that had the map. I stole the information from Dameron's mind when I interrogated him, but not where he put the holo drive, exactly."

"I still want the blood test," Rey said firmly. "I have to know the truth."

"Very well," I said. "Are you sure you're ready to hear my thoughts?"

A wicked gleam came into Rey's eyes then, and she said, "In a minute. I have to do something first."

I watched Rey stroll up to my past self as I was disembarking from The Silencer, and she kicked him in the balls. She walked back up to me, and I said, "Seriously? You know, that really hurts a guy."

Rey shrugged her shoulders. "Wear a cup next time. Anyways, it felt cathartic to do that. Well, let's watch this unfold."

We watched as my past self marched over to the hut where the village priest lived, and who was my Uncle's oldest friend. I snapped my fingers and my past self's innermost thoughts were broadcast once again:

_This assignment is beneath me. It should be Hux doing this, not me! But he ordered me to 'speak with my own kind,' as if being a Force user made me a different species altogether._ _I honestly don't give a shit about his opinion. I am here for the map, and that is all._

_I order my stormtroopers to bring out Lor San Tekka and I can see that he has grown old and weary in his exile. Whatever. I demand the map from me, but the old bastard wanted to be defiant to the end, and tried to unsettle me by talking about my background. I didn't want to kill him, but I was left with little choice. My lightsaber sliced him through as cleanly as a slice of butter. Ugh, death in war is always foolish and wasteful, but he had the choice to comply and did not._

_Captain Phasma tells me about the resistance pilot that her men apprehended trying to escape on his x-wing. He has been beaten up by the other stormtroopers. He had the map, and he was the one my mother ordered personally to retrieve it, rather than come herself. I prefer a hands on approach to command myself, not delegate it to your underlings if said task is important enough._

_I tried to question him about where the map is currently,but get nothing but a brand of sarcasm that I am very familiar with: my father is sarcastic in exactly the same way. I am angered by this, and I fight the urge to kill him. But I need the information, so fortunately for this pilot, I have to keep him alive. For now. I decide then and there to bring him back to The Finalizer with us._

_I order Captain Phasma to do what she likes with the other villagers. But wait...why is this one stormtrooper not firing upon the villagers as his Captain ordered him to do?_

_Weren't these new stormtroopers supposed to be trained from a young age to never question the orders of their superiors? Well, I will leave it to Phasma, he is her problem after all. It is not my job to curtail the behavior of the stormtroopers. I let it go, and hope that she can do her damn job, she's Hux's little pet, after all._

_I board The Silencer, and prepare myself to interrogate this new prisoner. I catch a quick nap before we get back to the The Finalizer, and hope that we can locate the map's location before the resistance does..._

_🌌🌌🌌_

I walk about the ruined village, and kicked a few loose boards and Rey and I said nothing for a long time.

"You could have reported that Finn was having issues," Rey realized. "But you didn't, did you? Okay, I get it now. I thought when you attacked him on Star Killer that you were merely being an asshole."

Ben chuckled. "And I was a bit jealous of him, I have to admit. I had a brief thought that you two were an item. But I was totally wrong. Another stupid misunderstanding between us. Can you forgive me?"

Rey kissed my cheek. "Of course. Can you forgive me for leaving you on Star Killer? If I knew then what I know now about you, I would have given you more of a chance."

I went to her, and took her in my arms. "Do you really mean it, Rey? Is it too late to start from scratch between us?"

Rey ran a hand along my chest and caressed my cheek. "I do mean it. I think we can be together if we are always honest with each other. Can we try to always be open with each other? I don't want any secrets between us."

I rubbed her back, and I said seriously, "For you, I promise to always trust you with my secrets. I mean that, Rey."

Rey started to tear up, and I wiped them away with my thumbs. "I promise to trust you always, no matter what happens. I don't care if I'm royal or just plain Rey, I just know that I want to make us work."

I captured her lips with my own, and this time, there was no shyness in her kiss. She wrapped her arms around me, and as the sand of the Jakku desert blew around us, our awareness returned us to our physical bodies.

We were in the hospital room still, but it was late at night. I moved to get up off the bed, but Rey held my hand, and said weakly, "Can we pick this up tomorrow? We have to have some closure about the throne room on The Supremacy."

I kissed her hand, and said, "Of course, but you have to rest. Good night, Rey."

"Good night, Ben," She said.  
I hated leaving her, but I had to, I spent enough time away from my duties and my training already. But I will see her tomorrow, and not even Hux will be able to prevent, I will make of it...


	9. Chapter 9

Rey's Pov...

My sprained ankle still hurts, and my face still feels a bit sore, but the doctors have told me that my body is healing remarkably well, faster than a normal person's body would. Then the blood test was given to determine whether or not I share blood with a Sith Lord.

"How long will the test take?" I asked the doctor as he drew my blood in the IV.

"Two days to be sure," He told me, looking down his thick horn rimmed glasses at me. "But it shouldn't take too terribly long. You will know right away the truth."

I waited two days for Ben, and it was boring, because I knew that he was kept very busy all day with the demands of his position. I was eating my dessert of mint chocolate chip ice cream when Ben came in, looking very tired, but happy to see me.

He had one arm behind his back and a grin on his face. "How are you today, Rey?" He asked.

I finished my bite of ice cream and said, "I'm better, but terribly bored. My right ankle still hurts where I sprained it when the Falcon crashed. I hate to complain, but you think you could get me a holo library of books or something? I have done nothing but sleep and submit to their tests. By the way, what is behind your back?"

Ben revealed a perfect red rose, and I couldn't help but feel my heart flutter in my chest from the kind gesture.

"Oh, Ben, it's beautiful!" I said, taking it. I touched the velvety soft petals and my heart was warmed by the smile on his face. "Thank you. But you didn't have to do that for me."

He smiled, and said seriously, "Yes, I did. I would do anything to see that radiant smile on your face, Rey. Did they take the blood test yet?"

Rey nodded. "They said it would take two days to know for sure. But why all of the other tests? It seems like overkill."

"You've never been in many hospitals before, have you?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No, not really. There was this clinic on Jakku, that I rarely went to for pelvic exams and such, but only when I could afford it, it was very expensive."

Ben put my rose in my glass of water on the nightstand. "Well, most of them were to check your vitals and that sort of thing. But the DNA blood test was the important one, and--"

The nerdy looking doctor with thick black glasses popped his head in, and was startled to see Ben there. "Oh! Supreme Leader. I...I didn't think you would be visiting today. Could...could you step outside for a minute? I need to show you some of the test results."

Ben stood by my side, and said, "Whatever you have to share, you can share with Lady Rey. We keep no secrets from each other."

The mousy, balding doctor locked the door behind him, and took a few stumbling steps towards us. "I ran the preliminary tests on Rey's blood, and her midichlorian count is very high, like yours. But I must tell you that the results are extraordinary. We checked your blood with the records we have of the late Emperor's blood, and I can confirm that the results are 99.999% that you are his granddaughter. We still have to rule out the faint possibility that you are not, but your blood is nearly identical, my lady."

"Th--thank.." Ben cleared his throat, "Thank you, doctor. For your efficiency."

The doctor bowed to both Ben and me. He left us alone, and I couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that I am a Princess! I couldn't speak, I was left speechless by the news. Ben paced restlessly, and finally sat in the chair by my bed. He buried his head in his hands, and I couldn't tell whether he was sad or happy that I was in fact a Princess.

"Ben, say something!" I said, finally not being able to take the tense silence in the room any longer. "What is going to happen now?"

Ben looked at me, and took a deep breath. "What do you want to happen, Rey? We are both part of two royal lines that are all but extinct. My mother was the Princess of Alderaan, and her mother before her, the Queen of Naboo. You are the Imperial Princess of the galaxy, and if you wanted to, you could take over command from me of the First Order."

I assimilated Ben's words carefully, and I now fully understood why the test results were so crucial: there had to be no doubt before things started happening politically.

"I wouldn't know the first thing about all of this," I said carefully, gesturing to this room to illustrate the First Order, "I mean, I fought against your... _our_ organization, because I believed in the resistance. But if I am the Princess, I have to share my grandfather's politics to a certain extent."

Ben nodded. "I am still giving you the choice to go back to the resistance, Rey. If that is what you want, of course."

"But I am the Princess."

"Yes, and I am a Prince. Which is why you deserve to have a choice, because you didn't grow up in the world of politics the way I have," Ben said. "Just think about it. Are you up to reliving the throne room on The Supremacy?"

I took Ben's hand, and he nodded. I nodded back, and we both closed our eyes and concentrated on our Force bond before we tapped into our memories, and established the connection once again to learn the truth of our feelings of this milestone event in our lives...


	10. Chapter 10

Rey's Pov...

The throne room on The Supremacy was just as red and grim as I remembered it. I itched to kill Snoke again as I watched my past self be interrogated by Snoke once again. I saw Ben kneel humbly in this horrid corpse's presence and Ben watched his past self do it. He walked over to his past self and hit him in the back of the head.

"Sorry, I'm chastising myself for my idiocy back then," He explained. "I should have stood by your side, but it felt like a good idea at the time to appear humble. You see, I have wanted to escape his abuse of me for years, but I was never able to get close enough to do it, or had the nerve to do it. Not until you came into my life."

"I'm sensing that you wanted to kill him many times," I said. "I thought that you were betraying me, until you subtly sliced him in half with my lightsaber, that is."

"Would you like to hear my thoughts on this? It will be easier than trying to explain it. But I want to hear your side as well," Ben said. "If that's alright with you, that is."

I walked up to Snoke and punched him in the face, and Ben laughed. "Okay, now who is the violent one?

"Oh, come on," I giggled, "You can't tell me that you never wanted to punch him in the face. I will totally call you a liar then."

Ben joined me, and punched Snoke then, and we both shared a laugh over that one. He helped me down the slippery black stairs, and we watched the scene unfold before us as my past self was being tortured by Snoke, and then almost being killed by Ben.

Ben snapped his fingers, and his thoughts were played in that clear stereo quality for us once again:

 _I want to be free of this monster, this murderer of so much good in my life. A part of me wished that I had heeded Rey's words in the elevator lift coming to this room, but I have to focus on the mission at hand. Emotion cannot take center stage here._ _I stand up, and ignore the pins and needles in my legs as I ready myself for doing what is necessary to keep the galaxy safe._

_I unclip my lightsaber and ignite it, bringing it within inches of severing Rey's head from her shoulders. She is looking up at me, silently pleading to me to not kill her. I keep my face impassive, and merely tell her that I now know what I have to do._

_I flick my fingers and Snoke's body lies prone on the throne. Rey's lightsaber goes flying into her hand, and we nod to each other. Our fighting side by side feels seamless, natural, as if this was always meant to happen. She grabs my ass, and I stifle a grin at that gesture, but I know the signal as that we should separate to better fight off the red praetorian guards. We fight our own battles, but a guard catches me from behind, and Rey sees that this guard is about to strangle me to death, and she throws her lightsaber in my direction, and I catch it, igniting it into the guard's face, killing him instantly._

_We face each other after killing our last guards, and a big part of me wants to just run up to her, and kiss her. By I have to tell her how I feel. I try to express my deepest feelings, only it comes out sounding stupid, and harsh._

_Rey is crying, and she takes a step towards me, but stops when I call her 'nothing...but not to me.' Yeah, nice going there, Romeo. I knew as soon as I said it that it was the dumbest, childish thing that I could have said. I should have been more overt and open with her. But she did not take my hand, and I now know that it is over. If ever we were going to be something more than enemies, I have failed._

_Then Rey tried to reach for her lightsaber again, and I reached for it again. The Force tore it apart, and the force of the Khyber crystal in it shattering in pieces, made me black out. I have failed, and there is nothing that I can say now that will ever bring the girl who means the galaxy to me back into my life again..._

🌌🌌🌌

I looked at Ben, and I couldn't stop the tears from falling if I tried. How could I have been so blind to what Maz Kanata back on Takodana: The belonging I seek is in front of me, not behind. Ben, he is my sense of belonging, and the only one who has ever been able to alleviate the dark loneliness I have been feeling all of my life. I _love_ him! I examined Ben's words on that day: Join _me_. He wasn't talking about the First Order, not really, but _him_. I am so stupid!

"Ben..." I cried. "I am _so_ sorry. I didn't understand you then. But I do now. Can you forgive me for rejecting you?"

Ben was crying and pulled me into his arms. "Oh, Rey. Of course, I do. I should have been more clear with you then. But I have to ask this: if I had been more clear then, would you have still rejected me?"

I thought long and hard on that. "No, but I still would have wanted you to come back with me to the Resistance. I wouldn't have understood why you needed to lead the First Order."

Ben kissed me. "Well, who would have been better? Phasma? She was good in battle, level headed, and strong, but she already had your friend Finn defect from her ranks. Hux? Oh, he is useful as a General, because it suits his purposes to do so, but he believes more in the cause of the First Order than foster any real loyalty towards me or anyone else for that matter. I saw the bigger picture and decided to rule, because I saw myself as the best candidate available."

I nodded, understanding Ben's motivations then. "I understand now. But I promised my view of things, so here it is."

I snapped my fingers, and my voice played out over the loud ship wide surround sound speakers around us. I winced at some of the parts of my thoughts, but in the end, I felt better having shared my thoughts and deepest feelings with Ben at long last, it was remarkably freeing, and it felt as if a burden was lifted from my very soul at long last...


	11. Chapter 11

Ben's Pov...

I saw the fight scene rewind itself, as if I was playing a holo security video of something on a loop, but eventually we got back to the beginning of it all, and Rey snapped her fingers as her innermost thoughts and feelings were broadcast between us.

_When I arrived on board, I thought that Ben would be happy to see me, or would even treat me better than a prisoner. But he acted so cold, so impassive, that I didn't know what to do as his stormtroopers put the binders on me._ _We went to the elevator lift, and began to talk, and for a split second I swear that Ben is going to kiss me. I lean forward, almost wanting him to, but then we don't for some reason, and I have no idea why._

_We step out of the elevator lift, and I walk ahead of him, and I feel like a stone has dropped into my stomach as he kneels before Snoke. Then there sits the Supreme Leader of the First Order himself. I try not to let my fear of him show, but of course, I am scared of him. I would have to be a real idiot not to be afraid of him._

_He taunts me, and I shiver in disgust as he uses the Force to pull me to him, and we are inches apart. Yeah, spitting in his face would not be a good idea right now. I honestly hope that Ben has a plan, because I honestly don't know what to do now that I am in this demon's presence. Then the asshole begins to scan my mind, and dips into my deepest, most innermost thoughts. I began to scream from the pain, and I can feel Ben's rage grow from behind me, but it is not directed at me._

_Has he done this to Ben before? I shudder to think what he endured as this monster's apprentice. Well, we're going to destroy him together...hopefully._

_When the monster is done playing with me, he sends me over to Ben, and I truly think that Ben is going to kill me. His lightsaber is inches from my throat, and I silently plead for him not to kill me. Then I notice his fingers twitch, and then my lightsaber is flying towards me. I grab it, and we are standing together fighting as we always should have from the beginning._

_I try to grab at his thigh to signal that we should split up, and end up grabbing his ass instead. Okay, let's not think of his firm, no doubt perfect ass, in the middle of a fight. Geez, Rey, he probably doesn't see you that way any way._

_One guard marks up my shoulder, and I behead him in response, and I lash out in rage as the Force moves sinuously through my body, guiding my movements. I kill my last guards, and see that two guards have Ben pinned, and are about to strangle to death. I throw my lightsaber in his direction, using the Force to guide it to his hand._

_He ignites it into his attacker's face, and we are at last alone. I am anxious to be gone, but Ben is staring at Snoke's body, and then the throne. He tells me that it is time to kill the past, and leave old things behind and join him._

_What the hell, Ben?? Why are you going down this dark path? I thought that I meant something to you. Why are you calling me nothing? What does that even mean? What I do know is that if we were going to be together, that time is now past. He has chosen his path, and it is one that I simply cannot follow with him..._

🌌🌌🌌

I turned to Rey, and we both have tears in our eyes. "Rey, I want you with me," I said softly, looking deep into her eyes. "Ignore what I said before, that doesn't matter. I want you to know that you are everything to me, and if it takes me the rest of my life, I want to be the one who can give you the belonging you have always sought all of your life."

Rey's lip was trembling and she said softly, "Oh, Ben...I love you too. My answer is yes, I want to be with you too. You, not the First Order, or Resistance, just us, together."

I knelt before Rey, and took a few deep breaths and asked, "Will you be my wife then, Rey?"

A radiant smile spread across Rey's face, and she said, "Yes, Ben. I will. But I need to hear it, please?"

"I love you, Rey," I said, standing on legs that turned to jelly. "With all that I am, I love you. What more can I give you but my heart?"

Rey wrapped her arms around my neck, and we began to slow dance in the burning red throne room.

"That is all that I need," She said, looking into my eyes. "I don't care that we will have the galaxy at our feet. It could all blow away in the wind, and I would only require your love to make me happy."

I ran my fingers through her hair, and I lowered my lips to hers, and our mouths moved as one as we kissed softly. I love her, I truly deeply love this stubborn, headstrong, beautiful woman in my arms. I have never been happier in my whole life, nor more content.

I kissed her again, and I realized that we were back in the hospital room, and we were kissing passionately. We broke the kiss for air, and I kissed her hand, smiling.

"I love you, Princess," I said.

"I know," Rey replied. "I can't wait to stand beside you in front of everyone and openly say that, my Prince."

"I have to go train," I said, "And to go tell my mother about this. I'm sure she will excited to hear about this."

Rey blushed. "It will be nice to see her again. Will you come back to visit?"

I kissed her forehead. "If I find what I wanted to give you in my quarters, then yes. How soon do you think before you can use that ankle of yours?"

Rey wiggled her right sprained ankle, and winced. "It still hurts, but the doctors said that it will be another week before I can put weight on it," She said.

"Okay, rest up," I said. "I will see what I can do about getting you some books. Rest, that is an order."

Rey saluted, and giggled. "Yes, Supreme Leader. I will be a good fiancee and rest up. But I order you to come visit me often."

I leaned down and kissed her, and Eskimo kissed her nose. "Yes, Princess."

I left the hospital room, and on the way to my quarters Hux accosted me, and narrowed his eyes at me. "Is it true? Is the...sca--girl actually related to our late Emperor?"

I grinned, and said, "It is. Look at the documents yourself if you don't believe me. Now, is there something you wanted, Hux? I have to go train. Plot a course to Coruscant."

His eyes widened. "And we're going to the capital, why? The rebels are rendezvousing in Naboo for whatever stupid reason. Don't they know that Naboo has always been neutral in their politics?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "No clue. On second thought, yes, I am of a mind to go to Naboo. Plot the course, General."

"And what of our lost Princess?" Hux asked. "What are we to do with her?"

I almost wanted to laugh at his rudeness. "Why, she is our honored guest. Honestly, Hux, I am surprised by your rudeness. Make sure she is treated to every comfort and kindness as our guest."

He seethed and he blurted, "She was an enemy of the First Order!! How can she suddenly be one of our staunchest allies?! What about your plan to recruit her?"

I laughed, and said, "Oh, I'm doing better than that, General. For you see, she agreed to marry me to seal this alliance, of course."

Hux's pallid face went to the color of his hair, and I thought that he was going to faint on the spot.

"Are you...You can't possibly be _serious_?!"

"I am. Now, go carry out my orders," I said, dead serious. "I will be in the training room if anyone needs me."

I turned on my heel, and I left Hux then, shocked to his core, and for the first time in his life completely speechless. I savored this complete victory over him, and trained hard to work off these anxious emotions that arose after my mental flashbacks with Rey. I need to watch Hux, and if he tries anything treasonous, end him before he loses his usefulness completely...


	12. Chapter 12

Rey's Pov...

I slept a good four hours before I sensed a dark presence in the room, and saw a blue Force ghost in the room with me. It was my grandfather, and he looked me over with a seemingly kind expression on his weathered, dark side deformed face.

Finally, he nodded his head, and came closer to me. "I studied you for a long time before coming," Sidious said, in his cold voice. "You have my late wife Clara's eyes, and hair, only it waved more and was longer if memory serves."

I didn't know what to say to him, and so I said nothing. He was scary, but not as corpse-like as Snoke was. "I...thank you, grandfather."

Sidious chuckled, and another Force ghost appeared, a tall man with a crown of thorns about his head. He was also heavily tattooed, and it made him look imposing, but not altogether unpleasant to look at, oddly enough.

"Did you hear that, Lord Maul?" Sidious asked. "At least the girl has a sense of propriety. Oh, forgive me, Reyna, my manners: this is Darth Maul. He will train you in the ways of the Force."

"I have Ben for that," I said. "No offense, Lord Maul."

A grin tugged at Maul's mouth as he turned his golden red eyes on me directly. "I take no offense to your words, Princess," He said in a quiet, velvety baritone voice.

Sidious cackled. "I think you are under the impression that this was a request. It was not. You know too much of the light side of the Force for my liking. You must learn to channel your natural rage and passion into combat."

I folded my arms across my chest. "Uh huh. Look where rage led you two. If I'm not mistaken, didn't Vader throw you down a ventilation shaft because you were torturing Ben's Uncle Luke with Force lightning?"

Sidious's expression turned dark. "Luke was being a defiant child. But your Ben is more powerful than his grandfather, and I simply want you to utilize a larger view of the Force."

My eyes widened at that. "You mean...to become void of the dark or light side. Luke Skywalker said that the Jedi needed to end, but I didn't know what he was talking about."

Darth Maul cleared his throat. "Master, may I speak?"

"By all means, my apprentice," Sidious shrugged. "You may have to become more chatty to teach, after all."

Maul glared at his master and said to me, "Yes, you are correct in that assessment. For years, the Force has shifted to become more mutable in its usage for those of us gifted enough to be able to tap into it. Both sides of this centuries long conflict between the Sith and Jedi both had their faults, but the grays had it right: use both the dark and light, while not succumbing to either side."

Sidious glared at Maul, "You overstep, Lord Maul. You forget your loyalties."

"Do I?" Maul argued. "You demanded that I teach and watch over the Princess. I am doing it, and that is all that you need to know."

Sidious's look became murderous, and he said, "This is not over, Lord Maul."

My grandfather's Force ghost disappeared, and I was left alone with Darth Maul. He sighed, and looked over my injured ankle. He wiggled my foot, and I could feel his hands. What the hell?

"Um, aren't you dead?" I asked. "I can feel you touching my foot. Ow! What are you doing?"

"Setting it properly."

Maul closed his eyes and then firmly, but gently realigned the bones in my ankle in place. I whimpered from the pain, but didn't scream.

He opened his eyes, and said, "You should be able to walk on it now. Try it."

I swung my legs out of bed, and tried to put my full weight on my right ankle, but stumbled. Maul helped me up, and then I was able to walk on my own. My back hurt from being in bed for so long, but I walked back and sat on my bed, fluffing up my pillows.

"You didn't answer my question about being able to touch me," I said, crossing my arms across my chest. "I mean, you are dead, right?"

"I am," He said, "But I died trying to save my mate from being killed by my former master's clone soldiers. The netherworld council felt that my dying for love was a noble enough gesture to warrant being able to partially live between realms where I am neither alive nor dead. But Sidious cannot touch you, he died without honor, so don't worry about him harming you."

"Oh. I'm so sorry...about your wife," I said. Maul nodded his head. "I can't imagine what that is like. Was she like us? Force sensitive?"

He looked at me intensely, but then looked away. "She was a Nightsister, so of course she was. Why the curiosity, Princess?"

"I'm just curious."

Maul came within inches of my face, and said, "When I want to be forthcoming about my life, I will be, but you will not ask about my life. Is that understood, Rey?"

I nodded, and he stood. "I will return when you are recovered from your hospital stay. We will train promptly in that time."

"O-okay," I stammered.

Maul nodded his head, and faded away. My head was reeling from everything that had just happened. Force ghosts that can touch you? What in the world was going on? It took a long time to go to sleep, but when I did, my sleep was fitful and after a week, I was discharged from the hospital ward, and that was when I saw Naboo for the first time in my life...


	13. Chapter 13

Rey's Pov...

Two Weeks Later...

It felt so good to wear normal clothes again, even if they were formal gowns, instead of the pants and shirts I am used to wearing. Ever since the media got wind of my new status as Princess Rey, and my engagement to Ben announced, I was treated with a strange respect by everyone in the First Order, except for General Hux, of course. He was determined to hate me, of course, whiny little shit that he was.

I settled into the beautiful, sprawling lake country palace that had once belonged to Queen Amidala. I could feel Ben's presence before he wrapped an arm around my waist, and kissed my temple as I looked out over the moon rising over the lake on the front terrace.

"How is my Princess tonight?" He greeted, whispering in my ear. "You look beautiful in the moonlight."

I turned to face my fiance, and looked up at him. "I like this place, it is beyond gorgeous. Thank you, for letting me stay here."

Ben chuckled. "It's yours now, Rey. The palace in the capital may belong to the elected Queen, but we have this place and one in the ocean country that you could classify as more of a castle. It's fortified and built for war. I would call this place as more of a pleasure palace."

A dark chuckle was heard in the area, and Ben put his hand on his lightsaber as he turned around and saw Darth Maul's Force ghost appear.

"If you two are done groping each other for a second," Maul said curtly, "We can begin training at dawn. Do not be late, I do not want to be forced to turn you out of your bed, Princess."

He was about to disappear but Ben asked, "And just who the hell are you to order Rey around?"

Maul looked Ben up and down and rolled his eyes. "Your grandfather's predecessor, and Rey's teacher. You can thank Sidious for my presence. Goodnight, Solo."

Maul faded and I could swear that I heard Maul chuckle. It took a little while for Ben to piece it together, but then his eyes went wide with shock. "Darth Maul. That was Darth Maul?!"

I giggled. "Yes, apparently he hates his former master as much as you hated Snoke. But he doesn't seem that terrible. Why is he so tattooed?"

"It's a cultural thing," Ben answered, "Most zabraks will be heavily tattooed, and if they aren't it's seen as a slight on their manhood or something. I can't remember all about Dathomirian culture, but they lived a very tribal existence. I only know about it, because Snoke insisted that I learn little snippets of knowledge about famous Sith Lords. He had a very lethal, acrobatic fighting style that I heard Master Yoda knew very well, but not every Jedi and Sith could learn it."

I laughed. "Well, it looks like I'm going to be tired and busy. Could he have waited until after we were married? I don't fancy bruises for my wedding."

Ben laughed, and shook his head. "It's a shame that I will be busy, or I would train with you. Will you tell me if he is too rough with you?"

"Of course. But that's not why you're here," I said. Ben shook his head, and kissed the hand with my diamond engagement ring on it, the one that was his grandmother's once upon a time.

Ben winked, and led me into the house. Dinner was already laid out for us, and then I saw who was joining us for dinner: Leia. Ben hugged his mother, and she smiled warmly when she saw me. I hugged her, and cried happy tears. I had missed her when the First Order attacked Crait, and I had thought that she died.

"Oh, my dear," Leia said warmly, "Let me look at you. Turn around."

I twirled in my dark blue gown, and she chuckled. "As pretty as always. You make a lovely Princess as I always knew you would."

We looked at the older woman, awestruck: she knew?! Who in the world could she have known??

"Mom, you knew about Rey--"

"Being the Imperial Princess?" Leia asked. Ben nodded his head, looking as confused as I was.

"Oh, for god's sake, Ben," Leia laughed. "I knew as soon as we ran our own health exams on Rey. It's standard procedure for any military organization to know the medical history of everyone. If you had been with us, not fighting us, I could have told you about Rey, and perhaps made this little arrangement for you both. Force knows it's about time you had a wife, son."

Ben blushed, and said, "Mom, really? Must we bring politics into this? I'm marrying Rey because I love her, and that is all."

Leia hugged us both, and nodded. "You're right, of course. Well, you are petite like my mother was, so I think you can fit into her wedding gown, Rey. It was very beautiful and regal. You are going to wear a tux, young man, not one of your uniforms."

Ben sat at the head of the table. "Yes, mom," He grinned, winking at me. "Shall we eat now? Rey has training in the morning, and I have meetings to attend to all day."

"Of course," Leia said, and raised her wine glass. "To a long and loving marriage between you both. Cheers."

"Cheers," Ben and I echoed, and clinked our glasses together.

I sat next to Ben, and we ate, and the evening passed by pleasantly as Leia shared funny anecdotes of the old days before Ben was born. Ben looked bored by some of the stories, but he didn't bother to interrupt his mother, simply because he had heard them many times before. I shared some scavenging stories that were amusing, and before we knew it, we were tying into the dessert, and it was time for bed.

Leia wished us a pleasant good night, and we went to the master bedroom of the palace. It was a gorgeous, huge room with an equally beautiful marble bathroom, and walk in closet. I loved it, and it had its own private terrace that looked out over the lake.

Ben and I got ready for bed. We climbed into bed together, and turned out the lights. We snuggled close, and I just savored this new closeness between us. It was not if we agreed to keep our hands off of each other, but I knew that Ben was trying to win me over by being a gentleman, and so he kept the touching down to a minimum. We were going to be married soon anyways, so why rush the inevitable was how we both put it when we talked about it once.

Ben kissed me, and settled in behind me, wrapping his strong arms around me. I went to sleep with a smile on my face, but when I woke up the next morning, he left me a rose on his pillow and a note that said that he had meetings until six that night, and that he loved me. I dressed for training, and went to the training center, ready to start my first day of training. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too tense, at least that is what I prayed, because I didn't fancy having a rough first day training under Darth Maul...


	14. Chapter 14

Rey's Pov...

Maul was meditating when I saw him. He had shed his outer cloak, and so I sat on the meditating cushion in front of him, and began to get into my meditation session. I felt the tension leave my limbs, and even the bizarre stress that came from planning my wedding fell away. I took a few deep breaths, and exhaled.

"Good, now reach beyond yourself to see what you can sense with the Force," Maul instructed. "Extend your awareness. See how far you can reach your awareness outward."

"Yes, master," I said, and pushed my awareness outside of myself.

I felt bodiless as I extended myself. I tried to do some of that on Athc-to, but Luke stopped me from delving too far into the dark side. I felt both halves of the Force flow into me, and sensed people and beings as far as Bespin, but I didn't focus on anyone in particular. Not even Ben, who was bogged down in meetings. But on Mustafar...Hux and the Knights of Ren...oh no!

I felt Maul grab my hand, and looked at me with concern, "What is it? Your awareness slipped from my grasp for a second. What caused you distress now?"

I explained what I saw on Mustafar, and his eyes narrowed, and his expression darkened. "It is a pity the council does not wish to resurrect me," He said. "They seem to believe that I cannot be all the way redeemed. Jedi fools."

I sighed, and took a sip of water from my insulated water bottle. "Why? What would you do if you were alive?"

"Assist in killing these treasonous snakes, of course," He answered. "But enough of that. Stretch, and we will commence with your forms. I am curious as to what passes for lightsaber forms with the Jedi these days."

I went through my stretches, but occasionally, Maul corrected my posture at certain points, and I started stretching muscles I didn't know that I had. When I was done, Maul rolled his eyes and went through his stretches that showed just how limber and flexible he was.

"I expect you to reach this level during the course of your training," Maul said, standing, and folding his arms. "Now, show me your forms."

I went through them all, and by the time I was done, Maul shook his head in disapproval.

"Pathetic," He grumbled. "Now, watch me."

He ignited his double bladed lightsaber and he moved through his forms sinuously like an athletic dancer. Some of it I could follow, but the ones where I had to flip were challenging. I ran through some of them, and struggled with the flip katas.

"Again," Was all he said.

I went through them again and again, and he occasionally corrected me by moving my arm, or leg into place, but he didn't say a word as his eyes studied my every movement. We did this for hours until I finally got a flip kata correct.

He nodded his head. "We will begin every dawn and continue this regimen until you master this portion of your training. When I am satisfied that you are competent in your saber techniques, I will move on to testing your mental Force abilities. Any questions?"

"Will I be learning hand to hand techniques?" I asked.

"Yes, in time. Now, rest. I will return tomorrow," Maul said, and bowed before disappearing. I bowed back, and I was left to take a shower. My entire body was sore. I didn't know that Force training could be so exhausting, but so fun at the same time.

Luke Skywalker had been a passive teacher, and laid back. I discovered that Maul would be neither passive, nor yielding. He was strict, disciplined, and militant in his thinking and approach, but he never mistreated me, nor disparaged any questions that I had after he was done explaining something.

Between these intense mornings and afternoons of training, I passed the rest of my time planning my wedding with the professional wedding planners. I spent four months in this manner, and I became much more physically fit as a result, and progressed in my Force abilities in general. When Ben was home for an extended period of time, I told him of my visions of General Hux and the Knights of Ren.

Ben put his head in his hands. "I'm not entirely surprised," He said, taking off his boots and socks. "I have been having similar visions, and I have been biding my time in the Senate gaining support there. How is your training going?"

I slipped into a pair of cotton panties and a tank top. "It's going well, I think. He's strict, very unyielding, but he is good, and I like his approach better than Luke's style of being ambivalent about my progress."

Ben grinned. "It sounds like I would like it too. I'm glad that I have some time off to focus on you more. When do you have training?"

"Dawn."

"Of course. Well, I was hoping to fool around, but I guess that will have to wait until after," Ben teased.

I laughed, and said, "We'll see how it goes. For now, get some sleep. You will need it, he is a perfectionist."

"Yikes."  
"I'm serious!"  
"I know," He kissed my cheek. "Good night, Princess."

"Good night, my Prince."

I wrapped my arms around him, and as soon as it was dawn, we dragged ourselves out of bed, and got changed into our training clothes. Maul was already there meditating, and we settled in across from him, and meditated at our own pace. By the time we were done meditating, Maul had Ben go through the same evaluation process I did, and he nodded with some approval at some of his forms, with others he scowled.

Then Maul showed him his forms, and Ben watched him, amazed at his range of motion.

"Now, pair up," Maul said, "Rey, use what I showed you against your enemy. Think of him as you did on Star Killer. Begin."

Ben and I attacked each other, moving as one, back and forth. "Again," Maul said. "This time, as if your life depended on it."

We fought, truly fought, and by the time we were done, we were both tired from the abuse our bodies took being thrown about on the floor mats. We bowed to him, and he left us.

"He's a good teacher," Ben said later at dinner when we cleaned ourselves up. "I'm glad it's not me, I think that I wouldn't be able to be as strict or disciplined with you. I feel oddly jealous. But let's focus on the wedding. What else needs to be done?"

"Flowers and catering. Everything else is done," I said with relief. "When do you think you will be free to get married?"

"Next month sound good?"

"It sounds perfect," I said. We made the final arrangements and sent off the invitations. We spent the rest of the evening finalizing everything, and I felt like a huge stone had rolled off of my shoulders, because the whole thing had been stressing me out, and it was almost all on my shoulders to plan out. But with the wedding out of the way, I spent the rest of the night relaxing with Ben, and that night, we briefly made out before going to sleep, completely exhausted. Little did we know what was being planned behind closed doors on Mustafar...


	15. Chapter 15

Hux's Pov...

The smoke, heat, and sheer darkness of Mustafar was nearly overpowering as I stepped off of the cruiser, accompanied by Phasma and a handful of my best stormtroopers. Just before The Supremacy exploded, I carried her myself, and had the doctors treat her wounds. Now, she was right as rain, and wearing new chrome stormtrooper armor.

Darth Vader's black castle loomed before us, surrounded by a moat of melting lava. It was imposing and beautiful in its own dark way, and it was a good thing that we were expected, because otherwise the drawbridge would not be down to admit us. A small part of me did not want to be here, because I did not want to rely on Force users again. Having worked with one for years, they have proven to be unstable emotionally.

I tolerated Kylo Ren's rage attacks and covered for his ass for years. But the scavenger was the last straw. Ever since those two Force users met on Takodana, it has been downhill from there. The fool became sickeningly besotted with her, though only the gods know why. She looked and was dressed like a dirty, filthy peasant, and she had a disgusting profession: scavenging. What was the appeal? I can only guess it was because they are both Force witches.

I hate to have to rely on their magic for anything. I would much rather rely on our allies in the outer rim territories to eliminate this new threat to the natural order of things. But I need Ren's former men, and it is necessary to do it to kill these two usurpers to my title of Supreme Leader.

"Sir, do we cross the bridge?" Phasma asked me. I turned to face her, and nodded. "Troops, fan out. Give us cover," She ordered.

Phasma and I crossed the drawbridge together and came to the outer courtyard where an imposing statue of Darth Vader stood. He had his arm stretched out as a challenge to anyone who dared to pass the borders into his own private domain.

I knocked on the huge double doors with the big gargoyle shaped doorknocker and I heard the locks and gauges being unlocked behind it. The doors slid open, and we walked into the foyer. The inside of the castle was darkly elegant, and modern, which I loved. Two black cloaked Knights of Ren shut the doors behind us and locked it.

A burly Knight strode forward, and just like Kylo Ren, had a mask on to conceal his identity. "You are General Hux?" He asked in a robotic voice.

"Yes, I am," I said, squaring my shoulders, and remembering my duty. "I came to meet with your new Lord."

"Just you," The big burly Knight said. "Our Lord does not care for a lot of noise in the temple sanctuary. Commander, ensure that his men and lady are well plied with refreshments."

"Yes, sir," Another Knight said.

I followed the muscular Knight down several corridors, and we took an elevator lift down to what felt like the bowels of the castle. We got out, and I was led to a beautiful gothic cathedral chapel, only there was nothing worshipped here but the dark side of the Force, and Darth Vader, of course; it was altogether bizarre.

Candles by the score, and sweet smelling incense assaulted my senses as I walked down the rows of dark wooden pews that were padded in burgundy velvet, the only other color in this monochromatic room. A lone black cloaked Knight was murmuring prayers, and burning incense around another statue of Darth Vader, only Emperor Palpatine's statue stood beside his, and looked just as intimidating as Vader's. Flowers like lily's and violets adorned the feet of each idol statue, although clearly, more flowers and candles adorned the feet of Darth Vader.

My bulky escort knelt briefly and made the sign of the cross, and murmured a prayer before whispering, "Father Ren will see you now, Hux. May the Force be with you."

I found that to be a curious phrase, but I chalked it up to them being part of a weird cult. I quietly made my way down the aisle, and looked up at the statue of Palpatine. I lit a candle, and I wasn't sure why exactly, it just felt like the right thing to do.

"I would expect your devotion to the First Order would extend to your former ruler," Father Ren said beside me.

I turned to face the Knight, and heard nothing robotic from his voice, which meant that he wore no mask. But as he had his deep black hood still on, I couldn't tell what he looked like.

"I.." I cleared my throat, "I..um, respect Palpatine's leadership. He truly knew how to lead."

Father Ren chuckled. "And yet you think little of those who can use the Force. You fear us, and the dynasty that will form from this Imperial union. A Sith Lord shall return, this I have seen. But his loyalties lie with the Princess."

I seethed at that. "What is it with this bitch?! She is a filthy scavenger and homely besides. Why does practically every damn man want her?!"

Father Ren laughed. "A Knight of Ren should not forgo his vows for the joys of the flesh."

I smiled sardonically at that, and said, "Kylo Ren flouted his vows to marry this Princess or whatever she claims to be. But beyond that, I want control of the galaxy, to form a new order under my leadership, not under yet another unstable Force user."

Father Ren sighed sadly, "Yes, it is most distressing that Sir Kylo, the first of us, the descendant of our Holy Lord Vader, should debase himself with the sins of the flesh. But I see no benefit for us, General Hux, beyond battling Imperial guards and the entire Imperial fleet to give you your heart's desire of becoming the most powerful man in the galaxy."

I took a few deep breaths to try to control my anger and disbelief. "What...what do you _want_ of me, witch? I have a large army, dreadnaughts under my command, and you tell me that you will not assist me. Why?? What more do you want of me?!"

Father Ren waved a hand over him and Hux felt strange, like he could suddenly sense the feelings and thoughts of everyone in the castle.

"Ah, there is your connection to us," Father Ren said. "You have cut yourself off from the Force running rampant in your veins. You will need to be trained in how to use your abilities. Join us, Armitage Hux, become one of us, and pledge your service to our Holy Lord Vader, and you will have all of the support from your fellow brothers that you could ask for, or desire."

I should have said no. I had no idea just how intense the training would be, or what they would ask of me, but I also found a bizarre feeling of brotherhood with these men.

"Yes, I will do it," I said.

Father Ren bowed, and said, "Good. You will spend this last night as you wish. Have your joys of the flesh, because after you are pledged to us, you will be joining for life. Welcome to the brotherhood, Armitage Hux."

I found myself bowing respectfully, and I went to the dining hall where my men, and Phasma were eating. I whispered in her ear that I wanted to sneak away, and she was drunk enough to agree to it.

We were directed to a rather comfortable bedroom, and had a wild night. When I woke up, I found a note by my bed with two words on it: Kill Her. I was disturbed by that, but I understood that this was a test of loyalty. I looked over at the sleeping form of my on and off again girlfriend, and took my blaster and shot her in the head. I did it until her head was a bloody pulp. I rolled Phasma's body out of bed, and began to cry. I hoped that this would be the last 'test of loyalty.' Little did I know that the Knights of Ren had more in store for me after this and it was an even more unpleasant task: killing my men...


	16. Chapter 16

Hux's Pov...

All six Knights of Ren awaited me the next day and Father Ren ordered from his throne, "Your men are an attachment that you do not need from your old life, initiate Hux. You must kill them, and report to the tracker for your first day of training. He will assess your strengths, and you will begin your meditation training."

I scoffed at that, "What? No lightsaber training? I already know how to breathe thank you very much."

The burly Knight, who they called the berserker, punched me hard in the face for my insolence. "You will begin lightsaber training when your instructors deem you ready to handle the weapon of a Force user. Until then, you will learn how to follow, and serve. Dismissed, initiate Hux."

I made sure that my blaster was completely loaded before I went back to the dining hall and killed my stormtroopers. I had to fight some of them hand to hand, but eventually, they all died by my hand. I slumped down to the floor of the dining room, and cried, cried such as I had never cried before. I could feel my heart being shattered into a million pieces as I curled up on the costly rug and cried.

I didn't see the Knights come in to observe me lying there sobbing, but I could sense them, and their disapproval. Then I was dragged out of the room into the main foyer, and kicked until my body was a bloody pulpy mess.

I must have blacked out at some point, because the Knight who was called the surgeon, stitched me up, but not after torturing me further with Force lightning, and other knives that should not be used on a human body...

🌌🌌🌌

Father Ren's Pov...

"I have done as you requested, my Lord," I said from my throne. "I have begun torturing the prisoner for information pertaining to the codes of the dreadnaughts."

Darth Sidious's Force ghost cackled, "Ah, yes my apprentice. You have served me well. Have the assassin infiltrate the wedding, and when my granddaughter is dead, you may deal with your apostate Knight in your own way."

I hated to mention the bantha in the room: Darth Maul, but it had to be said: "What of the netherworld's decision to resurrect your former apprentice? What do you want us to do with him?"

Darth Sidious shrugged his shoulders, "Kill him again. I don't care what methods are used, just as long as it is done. Is that understood, Sir Monk?"

I smiled at the Force ghost, and bowed. "It shall be as you command, Your Majesty."

"Good. I cannot harm the whore myself," Sidious pointed out. "So, I am relying on you and your brothers to carry out my will in this realm."

"May the Force free us," I said, making the sign of the cross that symbolized the dark side, Holy Vader, and Holy Sidious, the Great Trinity of Faith of every pious Knight of Ren.

"Indeed," Sidious agreed, and faded from view.

My heart felt lifted by my Lord's favor shining down on me. I had never felt so euphoric or in touch with the dark side of the Force.

Snoke had been a terrible overlord, he lacked piety and devotion to the dark side. I shall not make that same mistake: I will follow my Lord's guidance in all things. Peace and order shall reign in the place of chaos, and I shall see the apostate Kylo Ren crushed beneath my heel at long last, amen...


	17. Chapter 17

Maul's Pov...

Light...Breeze through trees and the sound of birds. Hard ground against my back. Where the fuck am I? My head hurts like I have been drinking all night. I blinked my eyes against the sunlight shining through a large weeping willow, and sat up to survey my surroundings. Lake country on Naboo, but where? Then I saw a blue Force ghost laugh.

Anakin Skywalker in his Jedi form. Wait...the last I saw him was in the Force netherworld, so why does he appear to me as a Force ghost? I filled my lungs with air and realize that I am alive..again.

"Good morning, Maul," Skywalker said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "I thought it fitting that you come back to life on the terrace of my late wife's palace. Oh, I'm sorry, mate in your vernacular."

I looked around and groaned. "You couldn't have put me on a soft bed, with two hot, naked twi'lek girls servicing me? It had to be on the hard ground?"

Skywalker giggled. "Sorry, I'm fresh out of twi'lek hookers. I wouldn't want you catching an STD on your first day back to life, now could I?"

Godsdamn Jedi's and their righteous sense of morality! I rubbed at my eyes, and saw that my lightsaber had traveled with me, as well as my knives that I poisoned the tips with rathar venom. I've only had a few occasions where I had to rely on my assassin training and get up close and personal with my kills.

"Why am I back?" I asked.

"I need you to protect my grandson and his fiancee from Palpatine's madness," Anakin Skywalker explained, his expression becoming serious. "In return, you will have your life."

I scowled. "How generous of the council. You couldn't have brought Amara back, could you? She didn't deserve to die by the clone soldiers. I don't deserve to live when she is stil dead."

Skywalker sighed sadly. "I could not change the council's mind on that one. Not even Master Windu, and he is the most gray aligned Jedi on the council. They still wish to punish me for breaking my vows to begin with."

I laughed at that. "You Jedi are far too stringent in your sense of what you believe to be morality. Some attachments do not weaken you, they strengthen your resolve to live for someone other than yourself."

Skywalker nodded his head on agreement. "Yes, which is why I couldn't live as a Jedi. But you are charged with protecting the royal family, Maul. Sidious plans to have them killed, even my daughter Leia is in danger."

"It's not my problem, it's yours," I argued. "It's your family, not mine. You should have argued for yourself, not me. What am I to you? It would have been more honorable for you to have this task, not me."

Skywalker began to pace, and looked out over the lake and the boats going by.

"You are a deadly Sith assassin, one of the best, save the Knights of Ren. You understand their tactics, and Rey already trusts you and--"

"Grandfather?" A voice asked from behind us.

I saw Ben Solo standing there, staring open mouthed in astonishment at us, dressed for training. Skywalker approached Ben, and after they looked at each other for a long time, they hugged each other. It was all very touching in a sickening, saccharine way.

Rey came up behind him, and I had never seen her as a live person before. As a Force ghost, your vision is different, more visceral and clouded, but since I was resurrected, I noticed how beautiful she was.

We looked each over, and she said, "I guess this means that I can take turns sparring with you both. But, how?"

"Am I alive?" I supplied.

She nodded. "Apparently, I am charged with doing what Skywalker here should be doing: protecting all of you."

"Well, I am glad you are here, at any rate," Rey said, trying not to blush. _What the hell? Hmm...maybe she's not as Jedi as I took her to be. Interesting._

I stepped towards her. "Are you?" I challenged.

"Of course," She said, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm certainly ready for training now that I know that I can finally spar with you."

I watched Skywalker and Solo interact, and Rey nodded her head their way. "Ben has been wanting to meet him forever. Personally, I'm happy for him, but I sense no real power behind him, save that he was formed by the Force itself."

"Like Ares and Alanna before him," I murmured.

Rey raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, just an observation."

"Oh, well, I had better go say hi to Anakin," Rey said. "Will we be meditating at first?"

I grinned at her. "Of course. I will meet you two there. Wrap up this little impromptu family reunion quickly."

Rey bowed. "Yes, master."

I went to the training center and went through my stretches and wondered at my limberness, and then I saw myself in one of the mirrors: I was younger. Not terribly young, but certainly at least twenty one. Interesting.

I settled on to one of the meditation cushions, and cleared my mind of all questions and desires, to become void, in essence. Then I extended myself through the Force. Strange, to use the light side of the Force when my connection to the dark side is an ever present thing. Gray: being at one with both without surrendering to the other, fascinating.

I sensed my students enter the room, and sit across from me. We shared each other's energies, and it felt nice to commune with other strong Force users; it had been a long time for me.

"Go through your stretches, and then pair up," I instructed.

They nodded and I watched the couple spar. I always found it intriguing when Force sensitive couples sparred, because they can shut off their attachment to one another like a light switch, and focus on their training. Not every couple can do it, of course, and those are the ones that fall apart: they are too close to one another.

I watched them nearly strike one another down, and then I paired up with Ben first. It felt good to wield a lightsaber again as I whirled it in my hands. I nearly cut the boy's legs out from underneath him, but he tried to behead me, and I bent, kicking his legs out from underneath him. He smacked the floor mats, and we fought like this for a good two hours, until I nearly ran him through as I did to Qui Gon Jinn years ago on this same planet.

Ben grinned, and bowed. "Thank you, master. I have to apologize but I have last minute wedding details to iron out."

Rey frowned. "Oh, Ben, do you have to?"

Ben kissed her cheek, and said, "Sorry, love, but I do. Some other time, perhaps."

"You better," Rey said. When he was gone, she punched a hanging punching bag in her frustration. "Sorry, master. I just really wanted to do this training with him. As something apart from the political things we have to do all day. Why can't he see that?"

What did she want me to say? I didn't know, honestly, because it wasn't my place. I kept my distance from her, because I had to only think of her as my apprentice.

"It is not my place to judge either of you," I said lamely. "But I have found that training gets rid of a lot of rage and frustration. Come, let's spar."

Rey wiped at her tears, and nodded. We sparred, and I kept myself firmly in the headspace of teacher as I corrected her posture, or even the way she was parrying a certain attack.

When we were done, she hugged me, and I kept my hands firmly to the sides, but then relented at the last moment by wrapping my arms around her, and quickly pushing her away. She gave me a look of extreme hurt and disappointment, but I left her alone. I picked out a guest bedroom, and went into the attached bathroom and took a cold shower.

 _Okay, I just need a hooker or two, that is all,_ I thought. _Yep, that is all this is. Once I get laid, I won't lapse into the Sith way of indulging every passion that comes my way._ I bathed, and let the freezing cold water run down my naked body, as I lightly punched the tiled wall in front of me. Well, I wasn't hard any more, that was a good thing, but the other problem was a lack of credits to purchase said hookers in the capital.

Just my luck, my next life, I have to live a damned Jedi celibate life. Nope, I will kill again before I'm denied some nice trim. Preferably one that isn't already attached at the hip to someone else. But then again, when have I ever followed the rules?


	18. Chapter 18

Rey's Pov...

One Month Later...

I looked out over the well manicured grounds of the royal palace. I was adjusting the veil on my hair when Leia came in, dressed in the midnight blue suit she chose to wear for the wedding.

"Rey, you look lovely," She said, smiling. I smiled, beaming with happiness. "I think the dress looks absolutely perfect on you, though you are a bit more toned than my mother was, I have to say. Turn around, let me see you."

I turned and she clapped her hands together, wiping at her eyes with a handkerchief. I looked at myself in the mirror again, and felt a weird sense of cold feet.

"Leia," I said, frowning. "Am I doing the right thing, getting married?"

Leia came up to me, and took me gently by the shoulders. "I think you should do whatever you feel is right for you and your life, Rey. Do you love Ben?"

"With all of my heart," I said without hesitation. "I don't doubt that, but I've never...you know, been with anyone else. It's only been him. Am I wrong for having denied myself the experience of not dating other guys?"

Leia led me to my guest bed, and sat me down next to her. "Before Han, I did date a few times. Little flings, really, but when we realized that we loved each other, that was it for me. Han was the more experienced one, but even he said that there was no one else. Your lack of experience doesn't matter, Rey. You love Ben and he loves you, and that is all that matters today."

I felt comforted by her words, and stood up. "Okay, well, then let's do this then. Let's go get married, shall we?"

Leia chuckled, and weaved her arm through mine. We left my bedchamber, and went out to the speeder that awaited us. Crowds cheered and instruments played as people vied for a spot to see their new, lost Princess out in the open at long last. I waved to them, and the new teenaged Queen of Naboo greeted us politely. I sensed that Maul lurked discreetly behind us, alert for any dangers to my person, but I didn't see him, of course, he was too stealthy for that.

We disembarked at the site of this gorgeous white church, decorated with an assortment of pastel flowers that smelled heavenly, and flowers rained down upon me as I entered the church. Nobles from all over the galaxy stood in attendance as I entered. Ben stood by the priest, and he looked very handsome and dashing in his tuxedo.

He smiled, beaming with happiness as he looked at his grandmother's wedding dress on me, escorted by his mother, Leia.

I saw Maul take his position to my left, and he chose to wear a tuxedo as well. He looked quite dashing as well, but I never would dare say so to his face. Finally, the priest led everyone in a sermon that was too long for my liking. He led us in our vows, and we exchanged rings.

Then Ben took my hands in his, and when the priest directed him, he leaned down and kissed me softly. Then the priest announced us as Mr. and Mrs. Solo and Ben giddily took my hand and we all but ran down the aisle, but not before some masked spectator shot something at me that ended up hitting Leia in the neck, and Maul sprang into action, knocking me to the floor, shielding me with his body.

Blaster fire started up all around us, and Ben shouted, "Maul get Rey and my mother to safety! I will join you later!"

Maul nodded, and he grabbed me and my mother, and we boarded one of the speeders. Leia slumped in my arms, her complexion going ashy as whatever poison was in her system was taking effect. We went back to the royal palace, and save for the guards who went to assist Ben, the palace was locked and fortified against anything that would come our way.

Maul and I dragged Leia to her bed, and I noticed the veins in her neck going black from the injection site.

"What do you think she was poisoned with?" I asked Maul.

He looked her over, and swore under his breath. "I don't have the antidote with me," He growled. "I need Shadowrose, it's a very dark rose with an all black stem and dark purple petals. Three guesses where it's grown."

"Your planet, right?"  
"Yes."

"Fuck," I swore, and began to cry.

I didn't care that I was crying in front of my teacher, this was my mother in law. Maul pulled the sheets up to Leia's chin, and said nothing. He didn't need to: she was dying, and there wasn't a damned thing we could do about it.

"This poison was meant for me," I said, wiping at my tears bitterly. "Why? Why would someone hate me so badly that they would want me or Ben dead?"

Maul looked at me as if debating what to say to me, but then he took a deep breath, and said, "My former master, you would call him Palpatine, or grandfather, I suppose. He wants to rule the galaxy through the Knights of Ren. I was sent back to stop that from happening."

I couldn't believe that someone could be so deranged and crazy as to do that...but then again, Snoke was the same way, so why should my crazed grandfather be any different?

"At least the old bastard couldn't keep me from getting married," I said, bitterly. "If he somehow kills my husband, I will tear that castle down to its foundations in my wrath."

Maul took my hand in his, and our eyes met. "That won't happen," He said seriously, "I will make sure of that."

I kissed his hand, and said, "I know. I couldn't ask for a more devoted champion."

He ran a hand through my hair and caressed my cheek. "I...I thank you, Rey."

He stood and moved away from me awkwardly. I wondered at his bizarre behavior. Was I such poor company? I focused on attending to Leia and making her as comfortable as possible.

Ben arrived four hours later, and he looked no more worse for wear. He saw Maul keeping watch and said, "Do you know what is wrong with my mother?"

Maul nodded. "Shadowrose venom. I know the antidote, of course, but I can't get it here, I would have to go to Dathomir to pick the necessary rose to extract it."

Ben sighed. "How long then, until she dies?"

Maul said solemnly, "Tonight, or tomorrow. It depends on the person. But death is certain. This was meant for Rey, not her."

Ben raked a hand through his hair. "I'm aware of that!" He snapped. "I tried to interrogate the assassin responsible, but he took out a false tooth and chewed a cyanide capsule."

Maul snorted, "A very dishonorable way to go. I will leave you two to say your goodbyes." He paused in the door, and looked at me. I heard his voice in my head, " _Forgive me, Rey, for not being fast enough."_

I was confused about how anyone but Ben could speak to me through my mind. But I shook it off, and focused on the situation at hand. Leia was dying, and all because my psychotic, deceased grandfather, directed crazed dark side users to kill me and my entire family.

Leia breathed shallowly, and smiled weakly when she saw us. "Fa--father," She said weakly, pointing behind her.

Anakin Skywalker was there by her side, and there were tears in his eyes. Then Luke appeared beside him, looking young again.

Han and Padme were the only ones not present at this little reunion. Leia looked at everyone fondly, and with love shining in her eyes. I almost felt out of place here in a strange way, like I was intruding upon this special moment.

"Rey," Leia said to me, "Stay...you are family now."

I blushed. "I don't want to intrude, really. But please Leia...mom, don't try to talk."

She waved away my protests. "I've been dying of the radiation of..." She coughed, "Of that space battle...before...C--Crait for some time. I am just glad that...you are married, my son."

Ben wept silently, "Mom, please hold on. Surely, there must be something...some antidote you could take."

Leia scoffed. "You heard Darth Maul..Killers _never_ lie about poisons they know well...How strange how love redeems even the blackest heart."

"Mom, you're not making much sense," Ben said, shaking sense. "What are you talking about?"

Leia weakly touched Ben's face. "It doesn't matter, just let it happen. Now, go, enjoy your wedding night. My time is done. I love you, Ben...forgive me for...everything. Can you?"

Ben began to sob. "I do, mom. I did when I didn't shoot your ship down as you were fleeing to Crait. I love you."

"I know, Ben...I love--" Leia tried to speak again, but her body began to jerk and twitch, and she let out one last gasping breath, and the great Leia Organa Solo, former General of the Resistance, breathed her last and was no more.

Ben looked each other and we sobbed in each other's arms as we gave way to our grief. We held each other in our room, and fell into a fitful sleep still dressed in our wedding clothes...


	19. Chapter 19

Ben's Pov...

Two Weeks Later...

This should have been my honeymoon on Cantobight or Athc-to, but no, I am burying my mother beside my famous grandmother Padme Amidala-Skywalker today. Rey's sadness is haunting to see, and I wish that I could have poured myself into training the way she does. But I can only focus on the fact that yet another member of my family is dead.

I have Rey, and she is all that is left to me, but for some reason I cannot bring myself to touch her in light of what has happened. I love her, she is my life, and I want her, but I don't like how our lives are diverging from each other. She has her social obligations during the day, and mornings training hard with Maul. I have endless Senate meetings during the day, and hearing petitions from the other systems. Who has time to think about bedding their wife?

Rey took my hand in hers as the priest spoke a moving eulogy in my mother's honor. General Poe Dameron also spoke a very long, moving eulogy, and he even made some people in the audience chuckle as he talked about how my mother slapped him for trying to take out The Severence head on. Rey grinned at that, but it quickly faded during the course of the funeral.

"Will the Supreme Leader of the First Leader now speak of General Organa?" The priest asked.

I stood on shaky legs, and wiped at my tears. I looked down at my mother's black coffin, and said solemly, "I cannot speak as to General Organa's achievements, but I can speak of her as her son. My mother was...a complex woman, who was incredibly driven and was a force to be reckoned with. She believed wholly and completely in the cause she served, and though we served on opposite sides of the war, I respected her. But more importantly, I loved her as my mother. I love you, mom. Truly. Thank you, for everything that you have given me."

I stepped down from the podium, and Rey was called up. She hugged me and kissed my cheek. I smiled weakly at her, and she smiled back.

"I only knew Leia very briefly," Rey said at the podium, "So, what I have to say will be very brief. I loved her at first for her strength, and her drive, but as I got to know her, I began to love her for her. She cared for everyone, and thought of everyone but herself. I wish that I could have had a mother just like her. I love you, Leia."

People clapped as Rey took her seat beside me. The pallbearers then buried my mother beside Padme Amidala and in a simple marble sarcophagus with the dates of her birth and death. I then put the epitaph: Beloved Wife, Mother, and Heroine of the Rebel Alliance, under her title of Princess Leia Organa--Skywalker--Solo.

The wake party was solemn and without its usual joy, and eating. Only a few people were dancing to the songs the musicians were playing.

I went to a table where Rey was talking with some senators, and asked, "Do you want to dance?"

Rey shrugged her shoulders, "We might as well. Leia wouldn't want us to be all mopey about this. I have every reason to believe that she is at peace now with Luke and her father."

I twirled her, smiling. "Yes, she is isn't she? So, I promise no more weeping. Speaking of which, what do you say you and I sneak off later to take care of a little errand of ours?"

Rey blushed at that, and winked. "Hmm...people will think that odd that we got it on so soon after a death in the family. Won't they think it weird?"

I laughed, kissing her. "Who cares what _they_ think? We're married, so we should...you know."

Rey giggled, and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Oh, alright! Gods, you sure know how to turn that charm on during the weirdest of times. When?"

I winked at Maul, and he winked back. He was entertaining two senator's wives, and likely would be occupied the rest of the night. Good. I didn't want Rey and I to be disturbed, unless the damn world was ending as we knew it.

Rey and I sneaked out, and as we walked back to our guest suite, I picked her up, and opened the door with the Force. I carried her across the threshold, and that night was the first step to true growth and healing in our marriage, and my first baby step in my grief over my fractured family as I knew it...


	20. Chapter 20

Rey's Pov...

Ben locked the door behind us as we got back to our bedroom, and that strange, electric tension that existed before this recent drama, fell upon us. We shut off all of the lights, except for the candles in the room, and then we faced each other.

Ben unzipped my black dress, and it pooled to the ground at my feet. I tried to undress him, but he chuckled, "Allow me, this is a little bit complex to get off and on."

"And yet you chose to wear your old uniform," I teased. "Was this so I could watch you undress, per chance?"

Ben shrugged. "Maybe. Undress for me, I want to see you in all of your beauty."

I shyly unhooked my strapless bra and took that off. Then went my panties and then my stockings and heels. Ben undressed quickly, and I gasped at seeing him naked for the first time. I felt so skinny and ugly compared to his lean, toned perfection. I ran my hands over his toned chest, and Ben crashed his lips onto mine, plunging his tongue into my mouth as he ran his hands down my waist, and cupped my ass as we kissed with growing passion.

"Lie on the bed," He said raggedly against my mouth. "I want to take my time with this, we have all night."

I laid on the bed, and waited for him to crawl to me, his eyes so dark with desire that they were black. I shivered in response, feeling myself go wet for him instantly. Ben explored my body with his hands, and I arched my back as he teased one of my nipples with his mouth and then the other, making sure to lightly graze each one with his teeth.

Ohh...Ben," I breathed, my breathing hitching in my throat as he continued his explorations by kissing and licking downward until he got to my pussy. At first, I wanted to ask him what he was about to do, but I soon found out when he began to lick and suck along my already slick folds. He stuck two of his fingers inside of my already wet folds.

"Oh, Ben...oh my gods!" I gasped as I felt my insides melt from his ministrations. I felt something give way inside of me as I cried out Ben's name like a prayer.

Ben wiped off my juices and began to kiss me again. I tasted myself on his tongue slightly, and it wasn't an altogether unpleasnt taste. He fitted himself to my entrance, and slowly entered me.

My eyes went wide as I felt him break through my maidenhead, and I bit his shoulder as he slowly began to move inside of me. "Are you okay?" Ben asked.

"Yes," I said.  
"I can stop."  
"No, don't...please, don't stop."

"Okay," He said, kissing me deeply as he thrust deeper inside of me.

I wrapped my legs around him and the pain was replaced by extreme pleasure. We began to move as one as we made love. Eventually, our movements became sloppier as we neared our climaxes, and when we finished nearly at the same time, we stayed in each other's arms for a long time as we kissed passionately.

"I'm glad that we sneaked away," I said, after we settled in to snuggling in our now messed up bed. "How long have you been wanting to do that?"

Ben laughed. "The day we met, you know that."

I turned to face him. "You know, you could always role play that, and pretend that I have valuable information that you need to...pump me for."

Ben kissed me gently. "Hmm...I like it. But what if I decide that you're a bad girl and you need further questioning?"

"Hey, as long as we make this an equal thing I'm not complaining," I said.

Ben shrugged. "I will take that under advisement. I like to be in control in all areas of my life. But for now, let's wash up, and sneak back into our party. That is, if you're too sore to go for round two."

I punched him playfully. "Let's get in that shower and find out," I taunted. Apparently, I wasn't too sore for Ben to pin me against the shower tiles and fuck me against them as the water dripped down from the shower faucet, but by the time I was dressed I certainly was sore by the end of it.

I thought it was totally worth it, though, because even though our marriage began with so much drama, I reasoned that our love began in just as rocky a manner, and we overcame all of those odds. But what neither of us counted on was that we had to try to prevent another intergalactic war by the time the Knights of Ren were finished with us...


	21. Chapter 21

Hux's Pov...

The knife torture lasted three days, to the best of my knowledge. But my training was brutal and unyielding. The weird energies that flowed through me felt strange as I was ordered to lift boxes, chairs, and other objects using only the Force. My teacher, the tracker, was a tough drill sergeant sort of man, and punished me for every little thing I got wrong. When he would briefly demonstrate what I was to do, he made it look like a piece of cake.

But the only good thing about the tracker was that I could ask questions.

I set down a heavy cargo box with the Force, and asked, "Why...why is it so damn hard to do this, sir? They're so _heavy_."

The tracker laughed, and then called in one of the rare children that I had seen helping the servants.

"Ferris," He asked a little boy with dark brown hair and dark chocolate eyes who looked strikingly like Kylo Ren it was uncanny, "Lift this cargo box on to the top shelf there."

The boy rolled his eyes at me like, 'really, man? You can't get this?' The boy lifted up his hands and easily moved the heavy box from one area to the shelf up above.

"Will that be all, sir?" The boy asked.

The tracker chuckled. "Tell the padawan how old you are."

"The cloners say that I am eight standard years, sir," The boy answered. "Will that be all, Sir Ren?"

The tracker tousled the boy's dark brown hair, and said, "Yes, that will be all."

The boy bowed and left the room. The tracker turned to me, and said, "Every child you see is a clone of every Knight of Ren and Sith Lord that has ever lived. Some are girls, but most are boys, naturally. Ferris is naturally a clone of Kylo Ren. I have some of mine roaming about, as well as Father Ren. It is how we keep our vows to never defile our flesh with carnal sin. If you are made one of us officially, you will need to submit blood and semen for the cloners to perpetuate your bloodline, of course."

I warmed to the topic, because it was certainly better than being tortured for information. "But are they test tube babies, or do you find women willing to carry them?" I asked.

We walked for a bit down the corridors, and paused in the recreational area. "We have Force sensitive women on hand, of course," The tracker answered. "They are paid handsomely for the inconvenience, but we interview them thoroughly to ensure that their devotion to the dark side of the Force is absolute. Why do you ask?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "It is... _was_ standard procedure for the First Order as well, to ensure that valuable employees and soldiers are not completely lost to death in battle, or when a base was attacked by the Resistance."

The tracker and I paused by my room, and he said, "I shall discuss this with Father Ren further. Until then, you have earned a reprieve from the torture sessions."

I went inside my room, and read what books I was given and took a long nap. When I was collected for dinner, I sat across from Father Ren, and saw that he had taken his hood down for once.

A long jagged scar ran down the right side of his handsome face, and wavy, golden blonde hair framed his face. There were slight horns around his forehead, and his eyes when he looked up at me were an unsettling golden red.

"I am half zabrak," The monk explained, lightly touching his small horns. "I look more like my Nightsister mother though, but I have my father's eyes."

I didn't know what to say to that. He grinned sardonically. "You like what you see, I can tell," He said, amused. "But of course, you want to know how I acquired this scar."

I breathed hard as I said, "Y-yes. It seems a crime to mar such beauty."

Father Ren rolled his eyes. "I'm going to ignore such a sinful utterance. For now. You can thank your former Commander for scarring me, for you see, that unique lightsaber of his used to belong to me. It was during the final test you see. We are required to defeat one of our Knights in single combat before we take our vows. Kylo Ren cheated, and pulled out a poisoned dagger from his belt, and cut my face open almost to the bone. I gave up my right to call myself master of the Knights of Ren that day. But I have heard that his precious mother has died of the same poison, so even though it was meant for Princess Leia, it reached one of my intended targets."

General Organa was dead?! This was indeed momentous news! My stormtroopers have been trying to kill her for years. I smiled, and Father Ren smiled back.

"What do you require of me, then, brother?" I asked, now understanding where this Force user was coming from. We both have suffered at Kylo Ren's hands. "I will help in any way that I can. I just ask that your men not treat me like a prisoner any more."

Father Ren cut into his steak, and chewed thoughtfully before answering, "Your control of the First Order completely. You are to have no other master but our Holy Lords Sidious and Vader. In return, you and I...well, I can do with you as I like."

My body went hot and cold all over at hearing this beautiful man's words. My mouth watered at the prospect of having this angel touch me. I only ever favored Phasma because she was masculine enough to not completely disgust me with what few feminine curves she had. Maybe, maybe in time I could dominate this angel, but I was willing to be the submissive one, especially for one as handsome as him.

"I agree to your terms," I said, "But...but I thought--"

Father Ren laughed. "Are you refusing the offer of my occasionally using you for my pleasure, Armitage?"

I blushed. "No, of course not. You're beautiful, it's just...why the torture? Why have me kill my Captain? She was loyal, strong."

Father Ren stood up, and came over to my side of the table. He knelt behind my chair, and wrapped an arm around my waist, and began stroking me through my trousers.

"Because your new life is with me. And I will have no rival. Now, eat, and follow me to my rooms."

I obeyed, and I followed my strange, crazy would be lover up the grand stairs to his rooms. When we were alone, we attacked each other's clothes, and I saw how heavily tattooed his perfect body was. It was so primal and hot. We made out, and kissed passionately as he took me from behind. When we were in bed, we cuddled and I had never felt my heart feel more content as I laid in my new dark lover's arms, safe that soon all of our enemies would be trampled under our feet at long last...


	22. Chapter 22

Father Ren's Pov...

I looked down at my bedmate and smiled. Hux was a bit pasty for my usual taste but he was a very giving lover, I gave him that much credit at least. I showered and got ready for my day. My uniform awaited, and for once, I was happy. Ten years had been the last time I took a lover to bed, and it had been a Nightsister.

I did that out of obligation, not pleasure...at first. But when I began to grow attached to the witch, that was when things got intense and heated. I had wanted to call the child I sired on her mine, but the sisterhood, namely my damn grandmother the high priestess took an extreme dislike to the idea.

Not even my mother, the beautiful, angelic looking woman that she was, supported me. I was banished from Dathomir, and I never heard that the clone army had killed my mother until it was too late.

I seethed with inner rage at that. I went to the temple and prayed before Lord Vader. "Lord Vader," I said, wiping at my angry tears, "Show me the true dark path. I will fulfill your legacy, and kill your apostate grandson. He will destroy us otherwise. Show me what I must do, Holy Lord. Please."

I felt Darth Sidious answer me instead, "He will not answer you. His soul has passed into the realm of light in the netherworld of the Force, my apprentice."

I turned to face Sidious's Force ghost. "Why do you speak such blasphemy, Lord?! All pious Knights of Ren know that Vader answers and sees all."

Sidious stood beside me, and looked at me with dark compassion in his cold Sith yellow eyes.

"And when was the last time my errant apprentice answered your heartfelt prayers? Or bothered to visit you in ghost form to speak with you, personally. No, my son, he only has spoken with Kylo Ren and my granddaughter."

I began to sob, and shake my head. "But...but he's not _worthy_!" I shouted. "He is a sinner! He debased himself with that woman. They both must die in their sins."

Sidious nodded, looking very sad and compassionate in that moment. "I agree, my son. Do you have utter control of that General Hux?"

I chuckled. "I do. Apparently, he has a taste for cock, so he is better controlled that way. But what do you plan to do with him, Your Majesty?"

Sidious cackled. "Why, you need a puppet to act through do you not?"

"Why yes, but.." I said, confused, "What do you plan to do, Sire? I feel that I have to know to move ahead with our plans."

"Do you have the codes?"  
"Yes."

"Good. Then give your lover a last minute fuck to remember you by...and kill him," Sidious ordered. "I have decided that you are better suited to my needs of bringing down your father, Darth Maul."

My eyes widened at that. Impossible! My father was dead! The reports had been very specific on that one. He had died protecting my mother Amara. The only blonde, angelic looking Nightsister who had any real claim to true beauty. They had sired me on the night of their mating ceremony, and the men were completely jealous that my father claimed such a beautiful woman for his mate.

I had been told that their marriage had been a happy one, but of course, I was carted off to the temple at twelve to 'do my duty,' and sire children on all of the Nightsisters along with the other boys my age. I knew that my mother had no choice in the matter, but I still resented my mother for allowing these women to use a nearly thirteen year old boy in this way.

"You told me that I could play with him for a while," I protested. "You assured me of that."

Sidious glowered at me. "I did, but I find such acts repulsive and beneath you. You will bring down your father, and that whore both of my former apprentices apparently find too irresistible to keep well away from."

"Yes, my Lord," I said, nodding. "I will do it, or die trying."

"Good, good," Sidious said, and cackling, leaving me to my tasks.

Killing my father I had no problem with. Who was he to me? He didn't deserve my love or loyalty in any shape or form. But Hux...that would be hard, because the truth of the matter was that I genuinely liked him.

But I could not go against my Holy Lord's words. I had to carry them out to the letter. I went back to my room, where Armitage still was. I woke him up with a gentle kiss, and we had a lovely time making love. I was in the middle of the act when I grabbed my dagger, and slit my lover's throat. I pulled out of him and collapsed on to the floor, dropping my dagger, and crying as I have never cried in my life as Armitage Hux clutched at his throat, and bled out on my bed sheets.

I put on a silk robe, and summoned the surgeon. "Yes, Father," He said. "You needed me?"

"Get rid of that," I pointed at my now dead lover, "And summon a meeting. It is time to take control of what remains of the First Order, and kill these traitors to the New Empire."

The surgeon bowed, and Hux was carted out of my chambers. I showered and cried, until the hot water ran ice cold from the pipes. Tonight was the time for tears, for after tomorrow the galaxy was in for the ultimate ultimatum: you are either with the Knights of Ren, or against us, and only the strong will survive in the end...


	23. Chapter 23

Rey's Pov...

Three Years Later...

The training room of Coruscant was much more expansive than the one at the lake country palace on Naboo.

But I liked the palace here better, despite it being located in the heart of the capital. There were high walls here that kept most of the noise from passing speeders and transport ships out, but the training room was my favorite room, because I could be alone with my thoughts, and commune with the Force.

Ben was busy with fighting this new war that the damned Knights of Ren started. Darth Maul wanted to play a more active role in fighting this war, but Ben had said that I was to be guarded at all times, and so he remained with me and my ladies while Ben went off to Force knew where, to fight battles I had no clue were being fought, or was told the strategies for.

I hated being kept out of the loop, and I also hated spending so little time with my own husband. I deflected a blast from one of the training droids, and used the Force to crush it to pieces. I 'killed,' my other two, and noticed that Maul was standing behind me, watching me. He had taken to training shirtless, which had become a distraction for me.

Have I always liked him? Or was it because he was the only available man around who wasn't slightly intimidated to talk to the Empress of the galaxy? I don't know. I have two children, a boy and girl, born a year apart from each other. Caleb and Claire. I shouldn't be thinking of another man, my own teacher no less in this way!

I turned off my lightsaber and sat on my meditation cushion. Maul sat across from me, and took my hands in his.

"What troubles you, Rey?" He asked, rubbing meaningless patterns into the back of my hands with his heavily callused hands. "It is not one of the kids, is it?"

I wiped at my eyes with one hand, and shook my head. "No, it's this damned war! My kids are the most well behaved around, you know that. But, it's well, me, I guess. When Ben and I got married, we promised to rule equally. But now, he goes without warning to a new system, and I'm expected to just keep things running as if he never left. I miss my husband, Maul!"

Maul nodded, "Would it help if we tried to find out where he is now to put your mind at ease? I can't have your mind all over the place if we are going to train."

I nodded, and we held hands. We felt a boost in our powers as we extended ourselves out into the galaxy. Corellia. I saw much death and carnage around as Ben's red guards fought alongside him, but then he was wounded by a tall cloaked Knight. Before the Knight could kill him, a red guard carted him off to safety, and in the hospital he began to get friendly with a pretty brunette nurse.

I saw him get intimate with her, and I couldn't watch any more. I collapsed on the floor, utterly devastated. Maul held me, and I sobbed into his bare muscular chest.

"How _could_ he?!" I demanded. "I gave him two children. We have a life here, a damned good one. Why, Maul? Please, you're a Sith, tell me why."

He smoothed back my hair, and said, "I honestly don't know, Rey. It is a great dishonor to betray your mate with another."

I smiled. "Are you just saying that to make me feel better about myself as the jilted wife?"

He tilted my face to meet his eyes, and said seriously, "I would never jest about such a serious matter. If you were mine, no woman would ever turn my head. I would belong wholly and completely to you."

My heart fluttered at his words. I shyly went to touch his face, but he caught my hand and kissed it.

He then backed away from me, and cleared his throat, "I...Forgive me, Rey. I shouldn't have done that just now. You belong to another."

I nodded and we put the intimate gesture out of our minds. We sparred and did some hand to combat, but when our faces were inches from one another, I could almost swear that we were going to kiss a few times. What was wrong with me?? I had two children to take care of, and this was war. Ben was only lonely, right?

Surely, this was only once he has done this, right? I soon learned that to not be the case three months later when Ben brought home a new pregnant girl to be one of my new ladies.

Caleb and Claire immediately tried to comfort me, but I couldn't be subdued. This bitch was carrying my husband's bastard child! I could not let this stand.

I found Ben in the library, and dragged the girl in, my lightsaber to her throat. He was drinking heavily, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw the scene in front of him.

"Rey, what the hell?!" He shouted. "What are you doing?! Sadie is _pregnant_ for god's sake!"

"Yes, with _your_ baby!" I accused. "I don't ask a lot from you, Ben Solo. Honesty, respect, love, and loyalty. Loyalty to our children, to _me_ most of all. I gave my virginity to you, Ben, my heart, even when you were fighting the Resistance I loved you, despite what everyone said. The day we married was the happiest moment of my life, and you're going to throw it all away for this whore? Why, Ben? Do you not love me at all?"

Ben began to cry, and moved towards me. "Rey, please just let Sadie go. _Please_. We can talk about this. I can explain."

"Later." I swung my saber and the mistress's head rolled cleanly off her shoulders. Ben nearly screamed in distress as he felt for the life that he put there.

He saw Maul standing in the doorway of the library, and he glared at the Sith Lord. "You could have stopped her from killing her, you cold hearted bastard," Ben spat.

Maul narrowed his eyes, and said just as coldly, "Measure your next words carefully, _Majesty_. Rey did her duty as your mate to right the wrongs you committed against her."

Ben stepped up to Maul, and looked from him to me. "Don't tell me you're fucking my wife. That would be a new low even for you, Maul."

Maul rolled his eyes. "Really? You don't know a godsdamned thing about me, boy. If you did, you would know that only a dishonorable piece of rancor shit would fuck around on his mate."

"At least I don't blatantly broadcast my feelings about wanting--" Maul lifted his hand and began to Force choke Ben.

"Maul, enough!" I shouted. "I'm too tired to argue about this any more. Let him live."

Maul dropped him, and he said, "You live because of Rey, and for no other reason. You might want to think about where your loyalties lie if you want to earn your wife's love and trust again."

I gave Ben one last look of sadness and he looked up at me with that same heartbroken expression he wore when I left on the Millennium Falcon for the last time. I wanted to weaken and go to him, but I was too hurt. He had done too much. The holo security drives on his personal cruiser did not lie. Five other women! This...Sadie had been the only one he had been too stupid not to use protection before cheating on me.

I went to my bathroom and soaked in my huge tub, the bubbles soothing me as much as the jets of the Jacuzzi did against my back.

"My lady, you have a visitor," One of my ladies said on the other side of the door. "Should I wait, or.."

"Send them in," I said.  
"Yes, my lady."

Maul came in, and said, "Do you want to talk about what happened today?"

I sighed. "Not really. Where is Ben, by chance?"

"The training room."

"Of course. Well, you obviously knew I was in here taking a bath, so do you want to join me, or not?" I invited.

Maul stepped back, averting his eyes. "I...I would rather not. I said enough earlier. I came to apologize for that, it was not my place."

"Oh. Well, if that is what you want," I said, shrugging. "But I think you don't want to leave, and I don't want you to."

"Rey..."

"Just take a bath with me," I insisted.

I should have listened to him, but how did I know that it would get weird for us both? Maul undressed and I soon discovered that all this time I wanted him after all. His tattoos gave him a dark exotic look as they flowed sinuously over his perfect muscles, which were bulkier than Ben's. I watched him get into the tub, and sit across from me.

He bathed for a bit, and we didn't speak for a long time. "I've never been in one of these types of tubs," He confessed. "On Dathomir we have waterfalls and lagoons if you know where to look. Most of the planet is littered with plains and swamps, but along the coasts you can find these tropical paradises."

"On Jakku, I was lucky if I bathed once a month," I confessed. "The scarcity of rations made water expensive, and it was always a bit sandy. This is luxury to me still, all of this."

"Are you going to leave him?"

I shook my head. "I can't," I said, tearing up. "My kids, the entire galaxy. What will everyone think of the Emperor who can't even keep his family intact?"

Maul scooted closer to me, until he was kneeling in front of me. "I understand," He said in a soft voice I have never heard before, "But I also know that something is happening between us. I have only felt this one other time with my late mate Amara. And now, I feel it for you."

"Maul..." I said, breathless. "But--"

"Shhh..let me finish, please," He said, caressing my face with his hands. "I am not a Jedi, Rey. I do not stifle or question my feelings or passions. I'm falling in love, and it is with you. I feel it so deeply that I was willing to kill on your orders tonight. If you don't feel the same, please tell me now, and I won't mention it again."

I began to cry anew, and I nodded. "I shouldn't love you, but I do. But it's different from how I feel for Ben, darker, more primal. I won't leave him for you, it's impossible, but--"

Maul nodded, brushing my lips with his thumb. "I can live with that, Vijya."

"What does that mean?"

" 'My beloved,' " He whispered and he caressed his lips against mine. I kissed him back and our tongues explored our mouths as our hands explored our bodies. He stroked himself for a bit before sliding inside of me, as I straddled him.

I gasped at the sensation of him inside of me. Maul gently, but firmly grasped my hips as he guided my movements. We soon found a fast, steady rythmn as we made love.

"Turn around," Maul lifted me off of him, and I obeyed as he entered me from me from behind, kissing me passionately all the while. He finished inside of me, and shivered inside of me as he kissed along my neck.

"You feel so good, Princess," Maul whispered huskily in my ear. He turned my face to him, and we shared a searing, heated kiss.

"So do you," I agreed, and it was true. He laid me against him in the tub, and it felt so good to have a man's arms around me again. We got ready for bed, and Maul said, "I should be going. I will see you for training."

I kissed him. "Some other time? I miss snuggling after sex."

Maul gave me one last gentle, soft kiss, and said, "Yes, some other time. Good night, Princess."

"Good night, my lord."

We parted at the bedroom door, and I honestly thought that that would have been the end of it, but what did I know?


	24. Chapter 24

Ben's Pov...

I destroyed my seventh training droid when Darth Maul stepped into the training hall. We stared one another down, and I said, "Rey will never choose you. We have this Force bond between us that is special and unbreakable. I should kill you for moving in on my territory and stealing what is mine."

Maul chuckled. "Yes, you should kill me. But you won't, you need me. And you're correct, Rey chooses you out of duty. But that darker part of her that I do not try to stifle within her? Oh yes, she loves me. She loves us both."

A training droid fired a blaster at us, and I froze the blast in mid air, and redirected it at the droid 'killing,' it.

"I refuse to share my wife with you," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "And you will never get her to spread her legs for you, I know that much about Rey."

Maul laughed. "Oh, is that so? Would it be so terrible if she did? I guarantee that if I did mate with her, she would not be disappointed."

Gods, I wanted to punch this man's face in. How _dare_ he?! Yes, I had my flings on the side, but never in the open. I didn't think Rey would mind since we have been spending months apart from each other. These girls meant nothing to me. I only took pity on Sadie because she became pregnant through my idiocy, and I wanted to give the child a better life than she could.

But the cold look on Rey's face, and the way she killed the poor girl without remorse or pity; she had the capacity of being more of a Sith than I ever could hope to be. Maul would not have had a problem killing me on her orders, and I knew then that I had reason to believe that if I didn't fix my marriage she would choose Maul over me.

"You're an asshole, you know that?" I pointed out. "You have Sith needs. What makes you think that if you weren't around your mate for months on end that you wouldn't cheat just to seek some temporary relief?"

Maul made a jack off motion with his hand. "There would be your temporary relief," He said, rolling his eyes as if to say 'duh,' "If your sense of discipline to your mission was not enough. But no, you chose to not channel your passion into combat and the mission. What makes you think Rey was going to understand your point of view when you brought a girl into her home, carrying your child?"

I winced at that, and suddenly all of my anger of Maul dissipated. "You're right. I just...I thought only of the child. I thought Rey would understand that."

Maul nodded his head, and said, "Go talk to her. I say this as her friend, not because I care about you."

I didn't say anything else. I didn't need to. I went to the master bedroom, and knocked on the door. One of her ladies admitted me and I undressed and slipped into bed beside Rey.

"Hey, scavenger," I whispered in her ear.

Rey chuckled and said, "You haven't called me that in a long time."

"I know, I just..." I stammered. _Just what?! Sorry that I'm a pathetic cheating asshole and your zabrak lover is right, that I don't deserve you? Go ahead and just give your competition your wife on a silver platter. "_ Rey, look, about the whole Sadie thing, I was just thinking of the child. I am deeply, truly sorry for straying. I love you, Rey. These women meant nothing to me."

Rey turned to face me. "That doesn't make it better, Ben! You're going to have to work hard to make it up to me if we're going to be as we were. I love you, you know that, but I need someone loyal to me."

"Someone like Maul?"

Rey narrowed her eyes at me. "I didn't say that. I want that someone to be _you_ , Ben. You are my husband, and I want to make this work for us, for our kids, and for the galaxy. How can the galaxy be at peace if we can't even keep our marriage together?"

I kissed her forehead, and sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry for everything, but especially about being distant." I yawned. "Let's get some sleep. I have to be on my way to Yavin4 tomorrow, there have been more attacks there in that territory."

Rey didn't like the sound of that, but she nodded her head, resigned. "Did you want me to stay here in Coruscant?"

"No, the castle in the ocean country in Naboo," I decided.

If Naboo was attacked, I reasoned that it would be best if my family was secure behind fortified walls than a lakeside pleasure palace.

"When do me and the kids leave?" Rey asked.

"Later in the afternoon after me," I said.

Rey nodded, yawning. "Good night then, Kylo."

I chuckled, kissing her, "Good night, scavenger."

We settled in and slept in each other's arms. I hated leaving her, but she was safe in Darth Maul's hands. Both of my kids were, Caleb seemed to think his tattoos were cool, and Claire thought he was the bravest guy around, save me.

In the morning, I said goodbye to my children first, and Claire kissed me on the cheek, calling me her hero. "I love you too, sweetheart," I said, hugging her.

Caleb hugged me too, and said, "I love you dad. Be safe."

"You too, kiddo. Protect your sister and mom, understand?" I asked my son.

Caleb hugged me, and said, "I will dad, I promise. I'll help dad Maul take care of her."

I lifted my eyebrow at that, but didn't bother to correct my son. I suppose it was to be expected that Maul would act as a surrogate father to my children. But it still disturbed me nonetheless, because I should be in my children's lives more.

Rey and I shared a passionate kiss and we said our goodbyes. I then said good bye to Darth Maul who had Claire hoisted up on his right hip, and hugging him.

"Claire, dear, could you go by mom?" I asked. "I have to talk to Maul alone, alright?"

Claire kissed my cheek, and she said something in Dathomira to Maul. He chuckled and kissed her cheek, and said gently, "...Maybe, if you're good. Now, go by your mother."

We walked out of earshot of my family and asked, "My kids know your language?"

"Of course," He said. "But Claire knows it the best. She wanted to see the...what are those fish women in the ocean?"

I laughed, "Mermaids. Claire seems to think they're real or something. Rey shouldn't encourage it, but she does for some reason. Anyways, if it gets too dangerous at the castle, take them to your home planet. I'm certain the Knights of Ren won't bother them there."

Maul nodded. "I will guard them as if they were my own family."

We shook forearms, and shared an understanding: if I didn't make it back alive, they would be his family. I boarded my cruiser and felt the heaviness of what I had to do fall upon me. I had to defeat my errant Knights. I had to do it for my family's sake, as well as the galaxy's. Everything depended on it...


	25. Chapter 25

Rey's Pov...

Two Months Later...

The moon shone full and bright over the roaring ocean as it lapped against the shoreline. The sound calmed me, and has ever since I first heard it on Athc-to. I especially love the ocean, ever since I learned how to swim. The kids went to bed hours ago, and I finished up on my duties around the castle, but after a month of missing my period, I suspected that I was pregnant again...with Maul's child this time. I walked along the shore, and ignited my lightsaber when I sensed someone following me.

"Relax, Rey," Maul said, "It's just me."

I turned it off, and clipped it back on the belt of my dress. He jogged to keep up with me, and I laced my fingers through his.

We walked quietly for a while, until I said, "I love the sea. Even the roar of it hitting the land soothes me deep down."

"I feel much the same way about it," He said, quietly. "Is something the matter?"

I stopped and looked up into his golden red eyes, and said, "I might be pregnant. I haven't bled in a month, and well, I have only recently been with you."

Maul stepped close to me, and tilted my chin to look at him. "If you are, I will be there as I am now to watch over you both," He said, seriously. "But if you are, I would have you be my mate, Rey."

"What about Ben?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck. "We're trying to make what we have work. This would devastate him."

He caressed my cheek and kissed me softly. "Yes, it would. But if we have a child, Rey, I want to be there for it. I would especially be honored if you became my mate. I love you."

"I know. But...I can't leave him. I love him too," I said, tearing up. "You honestly deserve someone who is not already bound to another man."

I moved to leave, but he grabbed me, and pulled me to him, kissing me roughly. "No. I deserve only you, Rey. I don't care whether you leave him or not. You are mine, I can feel it deep in my bones. I know you feel it too."

I could feel it, but it was wrong on so many levels. "I do, but it's wrong. We need to stop doing...this. Can't you just go back to treating me with indifference when we first met?"

Maul kissed me deeply from behind, and began to slide one hand up my right thigh and the other down my front, cupping one of my breasts.

"Do you really want to go back to that? To not have me do this..." He stroked me between my thighs, and slipped a finger inside of me as he lifted aside part of my panties to do it. "Or kiss you the way you have always wanted to be kissed?"

My breathing hitched as I got wetter and wetter. "M--maul...ohh...oh my gods...fuck..."

He continued to finger fuck me by adding a finger, and I could feel him get rock hard against my ass as he continued to stroke inside of me, and around my clit. I whimpered against him as I came in shuddering waves, tightening my walls against his fingers.

"Yes, that's it, come for me, Vijya," He purred, licking along my neck. My traitorous body did, and I collapsed against him, boneless.

He took off his cloak, and laid it down on the ground. I laid down on the cloak, and he laid down next to me.

"May I?" He asked, meaning my dress. I nodded my head. He quickly made short work of it, and I undressed him layer by layer.

"You're so pur, so beautiful," He said softly, admiring my naked body in the moonlight. "I could worship your perfection every night for a thousand years and never lose my devotion to you."

"Oh, Maul," I breathed. "Make love to me...please."

Maul explored me with his mouth and hands, touching me with such reverence I felt truly special, but when he finally thrust deep inside of me, he did it so slowly that I truly felt like I was being worshipped.

I need to stop this, like now. But I can't, his love runs like poison in my veins, and like an addict, I can't stop once he is inside of me. I felt all of these emotions as we made slow, deliberate love, taking our time as we felt ourselves join together in the Force. With our minds, we declared our love, and as he filled me with his release, I felt him fill me to the brim with his love; it was so dark, and yet so pure at the same time.

When we were done, we lay side by side on his cloak, staring up at the heavens. "How can the Force give me two mates?" I asked. "Isn't that like a bit, immoral?"

Maul turned to face me, propping his head on his hand. "According to who? The Jedi?" He asked. "You are mine, and I am yours. You also belong to Ben. Don't question it, Rey. Revel in it. How many can say that they have found such love in a single lifetime?"

"Was it like this before, with your last mate?" I dared to ask.

Maul shook his head. "I loved Amara deeply, but we never had a Force bond. You and I are something special, Rey. Thank you, for healing me of that grief. I died with her loss etched upon my spirit."

I kissed him. "Thank you, for being there for me and my kids, Maul. I mean that. They really think the galaxy of you."

"They are like my own," Maul confessed, "And I will always love them as such. Any child of yours I will love, because you are mine."

We kissed again, and got dressed. We made love again when we got back, in my bed this time, doing some positions that other people would find demeaning, but it wasn't to us, we were reveling in our love. Little did I know, though, how few of these peaceful, nights of passion we would have...


	26. Chapter 26

Ben's Pov...

Mustafar. As soon as I opened my eyes and saw that I was in one of the dark, black rooms of Darth Vader's castle, I knew immediately where I was. I was on Yavin4 when Father Ren's forces ambushed me and my men. General Dameron and I were taken into custody, and most of my men were killed.

Poe was in the room with me, and he was walking about the room, pacing. "Ren, where are we? Why aren't we in binders?" He asked, restlessly.

I was not in my old rooms, but at least they weren't the dungeons. We were too high profile of prisoners for that. Poe tried to find ways of getting out of the room, and couldn't.

"We can't escape the room," I said, lacing my fingers behind my head. "It's escape and Force proof. Besides, where would you go outside? We're on Mustafar. You might as well rest while you can, because the Knights of Ren aren't done with us yet."

Poe looked around the plush, luxurious room with amazement. "This refresher is huge, man. Is this normal for you as the head boss in charge?"

I laughed. "Yes, it is. I actually lived more simply in the First Order than I do now. Take a shower, rest, because we will be waiting a while in here."

Two trays were slid under the door for us, and it was a nice dinner, but nothing as fancy as what I know my Knights are eating in the dining hall. I ate it without complaint, and so did Dameron. We had ice water in the room, and I used the Force to bring Dameron's glass to him.

"Thanks," Poe said. "So, what's going to happen, exactly? They question us and kill us, or do they torture us first? I'm not a Force user like you and Rey so I don't know what to expect."

I winced at the mention of Rey, but kept my face blank. I really screwed up my marriage big time. But I never expected her to find comfort with another man. I thought our kids would dissuade her from that.

Poe was looking at me strangely and said, "Look, man, I know it's not my place, but something's eating you. I know we're not friends or anything really, but since we're stuck in here, you might as well unload."

I shrugged. What the hell? What's another hater? "Rey and I..." I took a sip of water, "We're kind of on the outs at the moment, because I fucked up bad."

Poe snorted. "As if that's a surprise," I glared at him, and he looked at me sheepishly, "Sorry, go ahead."

I chewed my food for a bit before continuing. "The Knights of Ren used to be my soldiers as you know, sworn to serve me. But after I married Rey, they took my marriage as my flouting my vows to never have relations with anyone, to only devote myself to the dark side of the Force. I went to other systems, fought, and sometimes came back to the medical centers injured. I ended up having a few affairs, and then I got one nurse pregnant."

Poe whistled. "Ouch! What did you do then?"

I sighed, and raked a hand through my hair. "I brought her back with me once I found out that the child was mine. I thought only to give the child a better life, but Rey didn't see it that way."

I had Dameron's complete attention now, as he ate his dinner. "Let me guess, she ordered her out of the palace."

"Worse. She killed her, in front of me, and then her lover nearly killed me," I explained.

Poe's eyes went round as saucers as he took the story in. "Wait...Her lover?! No, Rey doesn't seem the type," He asserted. "Okay, so, is he like you, a Force user?"

"Yes," I sighed. "Someone far more dangerous than I was as Kylo Ren. A true Sith Lord. His name is Darth Maul."

"I have no idea who that is."

I explained who Maul was, and some of the stuff he did under his master Sidious's orders, and Poe was awestruck.

"And he was brought back to life...how?" He asked.

"Apparently, the council in the Force netherworld has the power to do it," I explained. "And yes, this same man is sleeping with my wife. My kids like him as well if you can believe it."

Poe shook his head. "Okay, that's messed up, like _really_ messed up. What are you going to do about it?"

I laid on the bed, and put my hands on my face for a moment. "Stay married for the sake of peace. It would look bad politically if Rey and I divorced."

"Even if she's screwing another guy?!" Poe exclaimed. "I'm sorry but I would have a problem with that if I were in your shoes, and I was."

I looked at Poe, understanding now some of where his sarcastic humor came from. "And what did you do about your cheating wife?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Poe shrugged. "I got a divorce, of course. Thank the gods I didn't have any kids."

I grinned. "You're not an Emperor, either. I love my family, Dameron. Things are not as simple politically, I have found."

Poe was about to say something, when there was the shifting of bolts on the door, and a little dark haired boy in Sith padawan robes came in.

"Are you Lord Ren?" The little boy asked me.

"I am Kylo Ren," I said gently, "What is your name?"

The boy stepped forward into the light, and my heart nearly froze: he was a clone of me, even down to my facial moles, and features that I had to grow into as I got older.

"They call me Ferris," The boy said shyly. "Are you...my dad?"

I smiled, touched by the child's keen perception. "In a way, I am," I said carefully. "If you help us to get out of here, you can meet your sister and brother. Would you like that?"

The child's eyes brightened at that, and he nodded his head. "I will come later when everyone is asleep," Ferris said. "But not now, all of us are watched daily by the surgeon during the day."

I held out my arms, and the boy ran to my arms. I hugged him, and said softly, "Be careful, son."

Ferris smiled, and carried our dinner trays out. Poe was looking at me strangely, and then said, "You certainly have a way with kids. Did you really look like that as a kid?"

"Nearly identical. Caleb will like having an older brother, I think," I mused. "Wait, guards are coming."

I stood up, poised for a fight, and three stormtroopers came in and put binders on us. We were marched out of our holding cell/room into the expansive black throne room. Poe looked around the room like a tourist, but I kept my gaze on the throne, where by all rights I should be sitting. I watched Father Ren come in from the council room behind the throne, and sat in the throne, wearing his customary black robes, his deep hood concealing his features.

"We meet again, Sir Kylo," Father Ren said, in his deceptively quiet voice. "I trust you and your...friend, have enjoyed our hospitality."

I laughed bitterly, "Really, monk? Let's not delve into _your_ proclivities, it would be beneath us. Let's cut to the chase: what the hell do you want? Me? Here I am, in binders completely defenseless. My title of Emperor? My wife? No, sorry, you prefer the other team. So, what is it?"

Father Ren took down his hood, and I saw the very slight horns on his forehead, as well as the deep gash I put in his cheek. No amount of bacta bandages and droid surgeons could fix that scar, just as I would carry the scar Rey put on my face from her lightsaber for life.

"I want you to deliver a message for me, Kylo," Father Ren said, "And it is for my father: come alone, and I won't harm your mate. If he comes, I won't kill or even torture you. But if not, well, I doubt the Empress will want you any more once I have the surgeon start cutting up that pretty face of yours."

I shivered at that. The surgeon was the best at what he did, but he was psychotic. I would hate to be one of his victims.

I swallowed my pride, "Fine. But just so we're clear: who is your father?"

"Darth Maul," Father Ren declared. "But that handsome friend of yours stays behind as insurance that you will keep your word."

"Deal," I said, and mouthed, 'don't worry, we'll come to get you,' "And I want him dead as well, it is past time for him to leave my wife's bed."

Father Ren laughed, nodding. "Oh yes, I am aware of that. It is one of the worst kept secrets at court your wife's epic romance with my father. Well, you have a deal, Majesty. You hand over Maul, and I will kill him myself. Now, go and rest. The General stays with me."

Poe protested as he was led away, and I went back to my room alone. I took a shower, and went to bed after getting ready. Late at night, I heard my door unlock, and Ferris came in with a red tattooed zabrak child, and they carried a fresh copy of my Ren Knight mask, fresh clothes and cloak, and my lightsaber.

"We don't have a lot of time," Ferris said. "This is Lark, he's a friend. He doesn't say much, but he's good at tracking. Is the coast clear?"

Lark nodded and waved me out. I put on my uniform, mask, cloak, and held my lightsaber, just in case we ran into trouble. We stealthily made our way out to the ship hangar bay, and found my ship. We lifted off the platform and my clone plopped into the co-pilot seat beside me. Tie fighters came after us, a whole squadron, and Lark silently jumped into the gunner seat, and began firing the guns at our attackers.

I didn't like seeing Darth Maul's quiet menace trapped within a child, but the kid had an eye for space fighting. I whipped the ship around, weaving it in and out of the ships.

"Lark, if I swing around, do you think you can finish them off?!" I yelled over the noise.

"Yes, Sire!" The child yelled back.

I nodded, and banked around, and the maneuver confused their tracking devices, and Lark blew them out of space.

"Do you have the coordinates for Naboo, Ferris?" I asked.

Ferris held up a thumb and grinned. "Yup, let's get out of here."

"Damn straight," I agreed, and laughed. "Sorry, I shouldn't cuss. Punch it, son."

He did and we were jolted into our seats for a moment before the blue and white streaks of stars streamed past the bridge windows. I put the cruiser on autopilot, and Ferris followed me to the galley.

Lark was already in the replicator making hot tea, which I found to be an odd drink choice for a child, but I didn't question it. I made dinner for three, and when it was done, we all sat to eat. It was only when I looked at Lark closely that I saw that he looked to be about twelve, not nine, as I assumed.

"What are you staring at?" Lark asked, glaring at me over his cup of green tea.

"Do you have a real name?"

"No, I named myself Lark," The zabrak boy said, sullenly. "I know I'm the clone of a Sith but I've never met my father."

"Oh."

"Don't mind Lark," Ferris said, when I saw him tinkering with minor ship repairs, just like my dad did on the Falcon whenever he needed a quiet place to think. "He knows he's a zabrak and all that, but he's just...quiet, you know? None of us at the castle looked like him, or spoke Dathomira, so he's kind of always felt odd."

I nodded, and said, "What about you, Ferris? Were you told you are my clone?"

Ferris grinned, nodding. "Yeah. But, can I call you my dad? Do you have any other kids?"

I smiled. "I have a son named Caleb and a daughter named Claire. Caleb is two years younger than you, I think, and Claire is six."

Ferris bounced in his seat, excited. "Yay! I get siblings." He came around the table and hugged me.

I hugged him back, laughing. "But do you like the name Ferris? We can always change it."

Ferris thought for a while and asked, "Well, what was your daddy's name?"

"Han," I said.  
"Can I be Han?"  
"Sure, kid."

We hugged, and bonded over finding each other at long last as father and son...


	27. Chapter 27

Rey's Pov...

I looked at the pregnancy test results three times before I could believe it. I'm pregnant, and it's not Ben's baby. Claire ran up to me, and said, "Mommy, daddy's coming home!"

I picked her up and put her on the hospital bed beside me. "Is he, Princess? That's nice."

My daughter hugged me and felt my belly. Her hazel eyes lit up and said, "Mommy, are you going to have another baby?"

I looked at my daughter, and kissed her forehead. "Yes, darling. Are you happy about that?"

My six year old clapped her hands and hopped up and down. "Yay, mommy! I want a sissy! Can I have a sissy?"

"We'll see, darling," I said. Claire kissed me, and jumped off the hospital bed.

My doctor came back in and did some last minute checks on my pelvis, "Well, my lady, you can get dressed now. You are very healthy and everything seems to be set."

"Thank you, Janice," I said, standing up.

My doctor left me alone to get dressed and I left the hospital with my daughter beside me. Caleb joined us and I watched as Ben's cruiser landed. Ben disembarked and he had two boys with him. One was a boy who looked strikingly like him, and the other was a red tattooed zabrak boy who looked to be eleven.

Ben was dressed like Kylo Ren, and he took his mask off when he saw me. He handed his mask to the dark brown haired boy, and I ran to him. I began to cry tears of joy as his lips crashed against mine, our mouths and tongues moving together as one.

He picked me up and swung me up in his arms. He set me down, and said, "Oh, Rey I've missed you. This is Han."

I looked down at this boy, and then back at Ben. "This isn't from one of your affairs is it?"

"No, we're clones," The zabrak child spoke up. "I am a clone of someone called Darth Maul."

I saw Maul appear, and the zabrak boy looked up at Maul, and Maul looked down at him, and smiled.

"What are you called, boy?" Maul asked, kindly.

"The Knights called me Lark," The boy said. "But you can change it if you want. What are you called?"

"Well, I am called Maul," Maul said, crouching to his level. "But you may call me father, if you so wish. Would you like that?"

A bright smile spread across the zabrak boy's face. "Yes, father." I watched Maul and the boy hug and was touched by the heartwarming scene.

I walked over to Maul, and he held my hand in his. Ben socialized with his boy, and they drifted over to us. Maul made the introductions, and the zabrak looked up at me, and approached me.

"Can I call you mother?"

I nodded, and said, "Of, course, dear. I'm Rey. I have to go talk to Ben for a bit. Claire, Caleb, can you stay with daddy Maul?"

"Yes, mommy," Claire said.  
"Yes, mom," Caleb said.

Ben and I walked out of earshot of everyone, and we shared a passionate kiss. "So, who are these kids, Ben?" I asked. "I have to know."

Ben sighed, and put his hands on his hips. "In the Knights of Ren, they work with the cloners on Camino to clone every Sith Lord that ever lived. These boys are clones of me and Maul."

I was shocked by Ben's words. I now understood why Ben and Maul wanted to adopt these kids as their own.

"I understand," I said, and we watched the kids playing with the Force.

Maul came over to stand by us. "I never thought that I would have another child," He said, watching as his clone ran around with my children, laughing and playing.

"We have to talk about how we were able to escape," Ben said, watching as his young adopted son ran up to us with Claire in tow.

"Mommy, daddy, and daddy-Maul, Han and Savage found a pretty shell by the beach!" Claire said, excitedly, showing me a beautiful conch shell.

"It's beautiful, Princess," I said, hugging her. "You keep it, and don't let the boys break it."

"Yes, mommy."

My daughter ran off with my ladies, leading the other kids away back into the fortified seaside castle.

Ben talked about how Poe Dameron and their squad were ambushed just outside of Bespin. Father Ren nearly killed Ben in single tie fighter combat, and Poe had to rescue him. Now, Poe was being kept on Mustafar as a hostage.

"What is the message?" Maul asked, speaking for the first time. "I have a sense that I am involved in this."

Ben turned to Maul and said, "Did you happen to have a son with your last...wife?"

"Mate, Ben," I corrected.  
"Yes, that."

Maul nodded. "Amara named him Ash. He's still alive?"

"Yes, he's Father Ren."  
"Are you sure Ben?" I asked.

"Yes, Rey. The message is this: come alone, and he won't harm your mate," Ben said. Maul paced and then looked at me.

"Can I be alone with Rey for a while?" He asked.

Ben nodded, and said, "I'll be in the refresher if you need me." He kissed me, and left.

When Maul and I were alone, we began to walk down the pathway leading to the shoreline, and we sat together on a huge rock together, holding hands.

The ocean crashed around us, and Maul looked truly guilty about what he was about to say: "I have to face Ash, Rey. You know I do."

I took out the printed results of my pregnancy test, and wordlessly handed it to him. "What is this?"

"Just read it," I said, blushing, not quite able to meet his eyes. "It's why I don't want you to go."

Maul looked at it, awestruck. Tears fell from his eyes, and he touched my womb. "Oh, Rey," He sniffed. "Does Ben know?"

"Not yet. What are we going to do? The Knights of Ren have my best friend captured," I cried, "And I just found out that I am carrying your baby."

Maul felt the life there, and he leaned down and kissed my belly. "It feels strong, and fierce, just like my goddess. My two beautiful girls."

"Oh, a girl," I said, laying my hand over his. "Are you sure it's a girl?"

Maul cupped my face in his hand and kissed me softly. "I am fairly certain, yes. But I know now that I have to possibly kill my eldest son from harming you both, which means that I need to complete the mating process with you. Will you do it?"

I kissed him. "Yes, I will. What do we have to do?"

Maul kissed my hands, and inner wrists. "I need you to come with me to Dathomir, and seek the blessings of the gods. You and our son."

"And what do I tell Ben?"

Maul stroked my cheek with his knuckles. "Tell him the truth. He might get mad about it, but he won't stop you from having another child."

I shook my head, and started to cry, "I never wanted to hurt Ben. I love him. Most husbands would leave their wives over this."

Maul got up and sat down, wrapping his arms around me from behind me. "I know, but as my mate I would never reject any child of yours. I might kill my rival, but never you, Rey. I love you."

"But what about you going to Mustafar alone?" I pointed out. "You and I have this child on the way, and this boy you named...who is he named after?"

"My older brother Savage."  
"Oh. Is he alive?"  
"No, Sidious killed him."

"Oh, gods," I put my hand to my mouth. "Maul, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

Maul nodded, and looked away from me, lost in thought. "My past is...it's not pleasant. But I will tell you what you need to know about me, in time."

I turned his face to look at me. "Hey, it's okay. I love you, regardless of what you have done. Now, let's go tell Ben the news, and hopefully, he takes it well."

We both had a feeling that Ben would be anything but pleased, but I had to try, for this new child's sake...


	28. Chapter 28

Ben's Pov...

I couldn't believe what I was hearing: Rey was pregnant, and with Darth Maul's child no less! I had never felt so betrayed as I did in that moment.

I sat down on the throne on shaky, watery legs, and said, "I should kill you for what you have done to my wife. And you!" I pointed my finger in Rey's direction. "Rey...How could you _sleep_ with him??"

Rey stepped forward. "I only did it after you betrayed me with _your_ whores, Ben! It started out as a form of comfort, and I never wanted it to go beyond that, but I love him, Ben. I really do."

I marched down the throne, and grabbed her by the shoulders, not caring if I was crying. "Do you not love me at all, Rey?! We have two children! A galaxy to rule. Why? Please, I have to know."

She wrenched out of my grip. "Because I wanted you to know what it was like to be betrayed, Ben! I wanted you to know the feeling. I just didn't imagine that it was also because I loved him."

Maul took her hand in his and kissed it tenderly. I didn't know what he whispered in her ear, but she chuckled at his words.

I wanted to faint at her words. I wiped at my tears and said hoarsely, "And what do you two want to happen now? We live separately? Or we raise these kids together, and somehow live together? I will do whatever you want Rey. You beat me. I hate what we have done to each other, but I'm willing to make this marriage work. If you can forgive me for cheating to begin with."

Rey kissed Maul's cheek, and he let her walk towards me. She reached for me, and I almost wanted to bat her hands away, but I let her hold me as I collapsed to the floor, sobbing into her belly. I could sense the life growing inside of her: a life Maul put there.

"Ben.." Rey soothed. "I forgive you. Can you forgive me? I never meant it to go as far as I did. I love you."

I looked up at her and kissed her hands. "Yes, my love. Of course, I do. I love you too. Now, what did you two have in mind for the kids?"

Rey looked at Darth Maul, and he stepped forward. "We raise these children together. But first, I would like us both to be bound to Rey in the traditions of my people. I cannot in good conscience raise this new baby with Rey not being my mate, and yours."

I understood what he was asking, and it seemed risky to attempt such a long journey, but if it meant keeping Rey in my life, I would do it. I would do anything for her.

"I agree to your terms," I said, standing up.

Maul smiled, and held out his hand. I took it, and he clapped me on the back. Rey kissed us both, and Maul then explained the details of the mating ceremony: any man who seeks to claim a mate has to survive a challenge of wills against the other men of the tribe.

The woman has to be cleansed and painted with various paints of fertility to ensure a blessed union. After the man proves himself worthy, he gets to claim his mate, in front of everyone under the stars so the gods can witness the union and bless it. The courting process usually involved asking the girl's father for permission, and if he agreed, and found the boy worthy through killing a wild creature for the family, then through supervised visits, the boy and girl could court. But if the girl could reject her lover's advances at any time, even just before she lays on her bed to be ravished in front of everyone, she can reject her suitor's advances.

"Sounds primal," I said. "Well, Rey's parents are dead, so that leaves me, and I have no choice but to let you. You did get my wife pregnant after all."

Maul sighed, nodding. "It was not my intent, but I'm attempting to do right by Rey. Also, this boy you brought back who shares my blood, he deserves his parents to be a mated couple."

"Aw, Maul," Rey said softly, "I will be the best mom I can be for Savage...Lark?"

Maul grinned. "Savage."

"Oh. Well, you're his father, so you can name him what you want," Rey shrugged. "When do we leave for Dathomir?"

"Tomorrow," Maul decided.

"Good," I said, "I will make the arrangements."

We concluded our meeting and I went to the training hall and worked out my inner rage, and frustration. I hated being backed into a corner like this! But I would do whatever it took to keep Rey. Anything at all. I just prayed that our little detour to do this ceremony didn't put the Empire in jeopardy because of it in the long run...


	29. Chapter 29

Maul's Pov...

Dathomir. I felt a strange sense of nostalgia as the green and blue planet that was my home planet appeared in the bridge window. I have not seen it in twenty years. I looked out the bridge window and felt a little hand touch mine. I looked down to see my son holding my hand, and he was completely spellbound by seeing Dathomir for the first time.

His eyes teared up, and said, "There are not too many of us left," Savage said sadly. "What happened to us? We used to be so numerous."

"A Sith Lord named Sidious put in a kill order named Order 66, which ordered every stormtrooper to kill every Force user in existence," Rey answered.

Savage looked up at her and cried. "Oh, come here, dear."

Savage went to Rey and buried his face in her heavy skirts. I was touched by her love for a child she just met. She was a wonderful mother, and I knew that she would love our child just as fiercely.

Rey knelt at Savage's level, and said, "I don't know all that will happen during daddy--Ben's reign, son, but I do know that this kind of evil will never infect the galaxy again."

Savage smiled. "Thank you, mom. I love you."

Rey teared up, and looked up at me. I smiled back. Rey kissed Savage's forehead. "I..I love you, too, son."

Rey's other two children came into the room, and hugged their mother. "Are you ready to see another world, guys?"

"Yay! Daddy--Maul, are we going to see Grammy?" Claire asked, clapping her little hands and jumping up and down. I reached down to pick up the pretty little brunette Princess.

I hoisted her on my left hip, and she kissed my cheek. I Eskimo kissed her, and said, "Well, we will see, sweet heart. I'm looking forward to seeing my mother too."

Rey stood up and said, "Do you think she will perform the ceremony, Maul?"

I winked. "I'm fairly certain that she will. My mother always did complain that I was too rigid in my ways, and that I should find another mate."

Rey chuckled. "You're selective, not rigid. Besides, this time you're not doing it out of duty."

I kissed her chastely. "Don't tell her that, Vijya. She will insist that it is duty when she senses the life growing inside of you."

Rey laughed. "Okay, we'll tell her it's duty, particularly since Ben is involved in this."

I laughed. "Yes, it will be quite the show, I'm sure."

The kids were looking at us strangely, because we were speaking about things above their understanding.

The cruiser lowered itself into the atmosphere, and we took our seats. Rey went to the bridge to join Ben, while I stayed with the kids. I showed them a few Force tricks, and Han started to play with balls of water from a glass and hitting the other kids with it.

I sighed and froze the water in place. "Kids, stop getting each other wet," I said, somewhat sternly. "Belt yourselves in, we're landing."

The kids chatted excitedly among themselves. Han looked up at me, and asked, "Are rancors just as scary as they are in the holo archives, daddy--Maul? I just looked it up in my studies. Daddy told me that Uncle Luke fought one on Tattoine when he was trying to save Grandpa from Jabba the Hutt."

"Yes, they are dangerous and fierce, but the Nightsisters ride them for fun," I said.

Han's dark brown eyes widened in shock. "For fun?? But daddy described them as tall, and ugly, and scary."

"Did I mention that they taste good too if basted the right way?" I teased.

"Really?"  
"You'll see."

The ship landed just on the outside of the village and when the ship settled, Ben came out and the kids ran to him. "Daddy!"

Ben kissed his daughter's cheeks, and picked up Han in his arms. Rey picked up Claire, and I held Savage's hand as we all disembarked from the cruiser as a family.

The village guards approached us, and drew their lightsabers, but I stepped forward, and they put their sabers away.

"Maul?" My youngest brother Feral asked in Dathomira. "Is that you?"

"Yes, brother," I said, squeezing my son's hand reassuringly. "Feral, does our mother still live?"

Feral looked at me sadly. "She is...frail, but yes, she does live still. And who is this?" My brother looked at young Savage.

"My son," I said.  
Savage looked at Feral and then me, and asked, "Who is this, dad?"

"Your Uncle Feral," I replied, switching back to basic. "Feral, this is Savage, my son. Princess Claire, Prince Caleb, Prince Han, and the Emperor and Empress I assume you know."

"It still doesn't explain why they are here, Maul," Feral growled.

A covered litter pulled up, carried by a team of Nightbrothers. I saw my mother get out. She looked old and frail, but she still had that commanding presence I remembered from my earliest childhood, the leader of the Nightsisters.

She walked with a night stick that doubled as a lightsaber staff, and looked up at me. She studied all of us closely, and then stepped up to Rey.

"Ah," My mother said, smiling knowingly. "I see why you have come, my Queen. A Princess lives within you, child. A Princess my son lovingly placed there. But you must be tired by your long journey. Come, you shall sit beside me in the litter."

Rey looked at me, uncertain. "Should I go with her, Maul?"

I kissed her softly. "Yes, of course. We will be fine, and we will meet you at the temple."

Rey went to Ben and kissed him. "..No, I'll be fine," She assured him, and he nodded his head. "I will meet you guys at the temple."

I watched Rey get into the litter with my mother, and we followed behind with the guards and Nightbrothers. Little did we know that after the mating ceremony, that we would have no peace afterwards for all intents and purposes...


	30. Chapter 30

Rey's Pov...

The temple of the Nightsisters loomed ahead of us as the muscular zabrak Nightbrothers set the litter down with me and Mother Talzin inside of it. She lifted aside the black and gold drapes that kept out the oppressive heat of the day off of us, and then laid a seemingly frail pale hand on my slowly rounding belly.

Her sharp, stormy gray eyes looked up at me, and she smiled. "I never thought my son would find yet another great love on his journey through life. This child, this girl, will be the first Nightsister Princess in history to wield so much power in the galaxy. You are doubly blessed to have your two Force bound loves with you at the same time in your journey."

She patted my hands. "Love them both, and treasure your growing family, child. If Maul and Ben survive Ash, you will have more children with both men. But first, you must be properly bonded to both of them."

I helped her out of the litter, and she said, "Thank you, my Queen. You are most kind. Come, we must get you properly cleansed, for tonight, the men will hunt and prove their worthiness for your hand."

Other Nightsisters greeted me as we entered the white stone temple proper, and they were all heavily tattooed like Maul, only with more feminine designs on their impossibly pale, toned bodies. They all had either green or gray eyes, and if they had hair, it was bone white like their bodies, so they appeared almost like living statues. Also, they were dressed in either black or red silk robes, only less modest than Mother Talzin.

In the exact center of the pyramid structure that was the temple, on a raised dais stood two huge, white marble statues. On the left, was a beautiful, winged, woman with her arms outstretched, and beside her was a perfectly toned, muscular zabrak man with a tall crown of thorns on his head, and extremely stern, yet very handsome features. These gods were barely covered up with sculpted pieces of silk robes concealing their genitals. Of course, the winged woman's nipples were exposed, and the horneman barely concealed his very large cock.

Mother Talzin caught me staring at the male figure and chuckled, "Most women are drawn to Alanna, Ares's Vijya, not Ares himself. They are the mother and father of all Dathomirians. Most zabrak men strive to become the most accomplished warrior they can be, and devote hours to being the most physically fit in all aspects of their lives.

"He was also the strongest dark side user in the galaxy, so when he first found Alanna dancing in her gardens, bathed in her pure light Force energies, his heart was instantly struck dumb by her beauty. He killed ten thousand men to have her as his mate, and she rejected all of his offerings. She preferred great deeds of strength for Ares to prove his love to her, and he risked his life bravely every time he came back to her on bended knee, begging Alanna to become his.

"She finally agreed to lay with him under the full moon and without shame. The Force bound their souls together as one that night, and their union was most blessed. This is why our mating ceremonies are done in this way, where the couple to be mated is to have no shame before the gods to lie with their lover in the moon lit sky. In your unique case, you shall have two bind themselves to you in order to doubly bless your unions and to increase your bonds through the Force."

I was amazed by the story of the two statues, where people were lighting candles and burning incense to offer prayers to them. "Ares looks like Maul," I confessed. "Beautiful and powerful, and yet so tender in his affections."

Mother Talzin nodded her head, understanding. "Yes, Ares embodies passion, drive, and strength in us all. But you are unique in your devotion, for I have seen human females who have labeled Ares as scary, and too dark for their liking."

I laughed quietly, "That's crazy. I see passion but tenderness in his gaze. He's beautiful."

"I agree, child. What do you see in Alanna's face?" Mother Talzin asked.

I looked up at Alanna, and saw a motherly, but fierce woman who was kind, but did not suffer fools. I told the high priestess this.

Mother Talzin nodded, approving. "Yes, as mothers we see her motherly side, but she is a source of strength as well. We pray to her to help us through a difficult labor, through guidance when we have no one else to turn to. You have an almost Nightsister way of viewing our gods, my Queen. My son chose you well, as well as your King."

I nodded. "I love them both. But not the same. With Ben, it feels more pure, more compassionate. But my love for Maul is darker, more passionately charged, and yet I am devoted to both of them."

Mother Talzin walked up to the candles and incense underneath Alanna, and lit a candle and incense. She muttered a prayer, and she directed me to kneel beside her. I did, and I prayed for my children, even the two adopted boys, and my unborn daughter. When I was done, I went to the statue of Ares, where mostly Nightbrothers prayed. I looked up at him, and felt a strange feeling of love flow through me. I didn't know if it was from the god himself, or whatever, but I felt comforted by it nonetheless.

After the nightly prayers were over, I ate with my ladies, and my children. Savage was the most vocal for the first time, because he was around other zabrak males, and didn't feel so weird. He ate mostly with his russet colored Uncle Feral, and my children played with the few boys and girls that were in the village. I looked fondly on them as they played, and them not finding it strange that they were around a race of beings who all but worship the dark side of the Force.

After everyone went to their beds, I laid in bed wide awake for a long time pondering all that I learned, and missing both of my loves. I prayed that they were alright, and safe in the jungle, wherever they were. Exhaustion finally forced me to sleep, and when I did, I did so peacefully and without bad dreams...


	31. Chapter 31

Rey's Pov...

Two Weeks Later...

I got out of the perfumed bath, and the Nightbrother slaves held out my towel, and I wrapped it around my chest. I wasn't used to having men wait on me still, but I ignored them, and went to my guest quarters in the temple. A red silk gown was laying on my bed, and I went to it, and held it up to the light; it was so light that I might as well be naked. The knock at my door came, and two Nightsisters came in, carrying a tray of essential oils and white and black paint.

They curtsied to me, and one of them said, "Mother Talzin sent us to prepare you, my lady. Are you ready?"

I looked at the paints and asked, "What is the paint for?"

Her other sister blushed, and said shyly, "It is to ensure your...attractiveness to your mate to be."

"Um, okay," I said, taking off my towel, and letting it fall to the flower.

One girl put on the white and black paint, painting intricate patterns on my arms, legs, and somewhat rounded belly. The other girl brushed and pleated my still damp hair into an elaborate pleat, and began perfuming it with oils. Then they put various oils on my body in key choice areas: my neck, breasts, wrists, and the last drop of lavender oil was slipped onto my labia, and inside of me. I shivered at the contact.

My see through gown was slipped over my nakedness, and I was deemed ready for the god's blessings. I walked down a torch lit pathway where Mother Talzin awaited me just as I was about to mount the stairs to the arena, where sometimes rival tribesmen were killed in gladiator matches for fun.

"A woman has come to be blessed by the gods," She declared in a booming, sonorous voice, "And she has been given two men to be her mates in her life's journey. My lady, do you accept these two men? To be their bedmate, bear any children that might arise from your unions, and be bound to them forever through the Force?"

"I will," I declared.

Mother Talzin stepped aside for me to mount the steps to the arena pit, where the entire village, and rival villages were waiting for me to arrive. I could hear the drums, and beautiful primal music begin to play, and I did as instructed and laid on the padded altar that had pillows, sheets, and a thick blanket on the top of it. Surrounding this altar were candles, all lit and created a romantic ambiance.

Ben and Maul arrived, naked to the waist, and the village's best warriors approached. The drums began to play a fast beat as the men were given lightsabers.

I watched as Ben and Maul weaved and fought these zabrak men. They didn't work together, but I could see how close each man came to dying, because Maul and Ben tapped into the dark side of the Force, using their rage to whirl their red lightsabers around and parry and block their opponents' saber staffs.

Ben beheaded his last man, and Maul dismembered his last man, snarling his rage for everyone to see. The crowd cheered as the dead bodies were carted away by the Nightbrother slaves. Maul and Ben also handed their lightsabers to them.

"If you lose our weapons, you will find yourselves in the afterlife," Maul threatened. They bowed, cowering in fear of the Sith Lord.

Maul and Ben turned to me, and marched up to me. I got off the red altar, and Maul ripped off my dress and began to kiss me passionately, while Ben undressed and began to kiss my neck, and stroke me between my legs.

Ben then turned me to face him, and he led me to the altar where I could tell what he wanted without asking. I nodded, and knelt in front of him taking his cock in my mouth and began to suck him, as I stroked his balls. Maul settled behind me, and entered me from behind.

I stroked Ben's cock and licked up and down his length. I moaned as Maul took me fast from behind. We changed positions as I rode Ben and then sucked Maul off. He soon finished deep in my throat, and I swallowed it whole. He kissed me deeply as he entered my ass, and we began making love as one. I cried from the sensation of being fucked by two men at once.

We made love all night as eventually all of our spectators drifted off, and we were left alone. When we were finally satiated, we laid in each other's arms. I rested my head on Ben's muscular chest, while Maul held me from behind. I lay sandwiched in between them as we slept the sleep of the well satisfied and loved. Little did we know that it would be our last...


	32. Chapter 32

Maul's Pov...

The tell tale sounds and screams of the tie fighters broke the sound barrier as the invaders arrived. The alarm went out throughout the entire village as stormtroopers disembarked and began shooting blasters at everyone. All six Knights of Ren began slaughtering everyone in their path. I shielded Ben and Rey's back as they fled inside the temple.

I had time to put my pants on, before a Nightbrother handed us our lightsabers. It wasn't until I saw the hooded figure of my son Ash that Savage stepped out and began using Force lightning to kill stormtroopers left and right.

"Savage! Get out of here. That's an order!" I shouted at my son.

He ran to me, and said, "Dad, I can't! Please let me stay with you."

I grabbed him and we ducked by a side building. "Son, please go. It is your duty to protect your sister and brother. If I don't make it--"

Savage nodded, suddenly looking much older than his years. "I know, dad. I will tell mom."

I gave my son one last look, and nodded to him. Savage ran off, killing two stormtroopers with his lightsaber as he ran back towards the temple. I hate that I had to go back to confront my eldest son alone, but I was comforted by the fact that Rey and the kids were safe. Kylo Ren would look after them and protect them.

I watched the sleek black cruiser take off with my mate and my son on board. I hardened my heart against what had to be done: kill my eldest son, or be killed...

🌌🌌🌌

Father Ren's Pov...

My father was here, I could feel it. The Imperial family had escaped, but not without the Knights of Ren perishing by the traitor Kylo Ren, and his pregnant wife. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered but victory, and I would have victory, and my revenge, even if it killed me. 

So it was, that as the villagers fought against my men, that I found my infamous father in the center of the village. My father, the famous Darth Maul, who feared nothing, and no one but his master Sidious, had been laid low by a woman; it was altogether disgusting to say the least. Well, he would pay for my mother's death with his life...again. I will make sure of it...


	33. Chapter 33

Maul's Pov...

My lightsaber clashed with Ash's as we whirled out sabers and parried and blocked each other's blows. I hit Ash with Force lightning, and he tried to hit me with lightning as well. He went flying fifty feet but recovered. 

We grappled and fought in the dirt, exchanging punches and kicks. Then we recovered, and ignited our lightsabers. I flipped and whirled my lightsaber around, and sliced upward into Ash's abdomen. But then I felt a hot, searing pain in my abdomen as well.

We both looked down at each other, and in the seconds it took for us to look at one another, a light came into my eldest son's eyes, and he said, "I...I'm sorry, father."

I touched my son's face, and coughed up blood. "I know," I said.

The life left Ash's eyes, and he died in front of me. Then I felt soft arms wrap around me. I looked up into Rey's face, and I felt her tears hit my face.

"Vijya..." I breathed. "How...why..."

"Oh, Maul, no, please," Rey cried, kissing my forehead, as she cradled my head in her lap. "Please, my love, stay with me."

My eyelids fluttered open, and I looked up at my goddess. "Rey, please go...keep our children safe."

I touched her face, and she kissed my hand. "Please let me heal you, Maul. I don't want you to die again. Please...I don't want to lose you, our kids need you... _I_ need you."

I coughed up more blood. "You can do this, Rey. I will always be with you...I love you...with all of my heart."

Rey cried, and said, "I love you too, Maul."

I gently brought her lips to mine, and we shared one last kiss before I could feel my breath leave me, and I knew no more...

🌌🌌🌌

Rey's Pov...

I felt Ben come up behind me, and I buried my face in his chest as Maul's body became one with the Force and left nothing but his black robes and double sided lightsaber. I sobbed, my heart breaking as I rocked on my heels.

"Rey, we have to go," Ben said softly. "Please. If we don't leave, more stormtroopers will swarm in and we won't be able to escape."

I gathered up Maul's robe, outer cloak, and lightsaber, and cradled them to me for dear life. We boarded the ship, and I walked past my kids without saying a word, and went to take a shower as I cried until the water went as cold as ice. Ben came in and wordlessly took me in his arms. I sobbed into his bare chest, and he later snuggled with me in our bed. It would be two years before I would be able to love Ben fully again, and we could get on with our lives once more as rulers of the galaxy...


	34. Chapter 34

Rey's Pov...

Fifteen Years Later...

The moon rose high over a lagoon on Athc-to as I walked down the trail Ben knew well from his training days with his Uncle Luke Skywalker. The kids were back on Coruscant and we took this time to have a true honeymoon. 

Asaj, my daughter with Maul, married a prominent senator. Savage went back to Dathomir and became high priest of the Nightbrothers, and rebuilt the village up from nothing. Han and Claire decided to rule side by side, and we served as councilors to our children when they needed help ruling or passing new laws.

I was glad for the time to truly reclaim my marriage, and things between me and Ben had never been better. I changed into a light robe after dinner, and found a note on our bed in the house we built on the beach:

_Meet me out in the lagoon of the lily's and hyacinth we found on our first day here._

_Love You,_

_Ben_

I smiled when I found a red hibiscus next to the note. I put the hibiscus flower in my hair and shut the door behind me. I walked down the path, until I found the lagoon Ben spoke of in his note.

Ben was swimming naked in the water, and I couldn't help but go wet seeing his toned, muscular body move sinuously through the water. I stealthily crept up and took off my robe and put it next to his. I got into the water, and swam out to him.

The water was warm against my skin as I swam and Ben wrapped me in his arms as we swam to the shallow part of the lagoon where we could stand up.

"Come join me, scavenger," Ben said, drawing me in for gentle, soft kiss.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I will always join you, wherever we may end up, my dark Prince."

"I love you, Rey," Ben said, running his hands down my waist and cupping my ass with his hands. I guided him inside of me and rode him.

"Oh, Ben...I love you too."

"As my Queen commands," Ben rasped as he guided my hips, taking a nipple into his mouth and swirling it with his tongue as I rode him slowly, savoring this moment between us.

He did the same with my other breast, and he kissed and picked his way up my throat back to my mouth, where we kissed passionately, roughly. When we found our releases, we shuddered in each other's arms as we stared into each other's eyes, our souls and hearts becoming truly one and whole, forever bonded in the Force, and in our hearts eternally at long last....

The End 


End file.
